SPRING PROJECTS COMING UP – Voice Of The Township

Well, spring is just around the corner and that means we are busy with a couple of projects besides our usual township business; one project that is new for us this year is that we are a site for the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Program. The Tax-Aide Program offers free tax preparation for any filers making up to $56,000 a year. At our office we have volunteers available by appointment or on a walk-in basis from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm each Tuesday and Thursday from now until April 11, 2019. For more information and for a printable list of needed documents, you can go to www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/ on the internet or you can stop by our office.

A second project that gets busy for us this at time of year is our Scholarship program. We are now taking applications for the 7th Annual Recognizing Achievement Scholarship that we offer to graduating high school seniors who are moving on to higher education. And along with that scholarship we are offering for the third year in a row to students in grades 11 and under a chance to win the Trustee’s Academic Encouragement Award.

The RAS and the AEA scholarships were started because I have long believed that education is vital to the fight against poverty. I am proud to say that both of these scholarships are funded not with taxpayer dollars but by individual donations collected in conjunction with our annual Holiday Celebration held each December.

Following is some information on applying for our Recognizing Achievement Scholarship (RAS) Award. These are $500 scholarships awarded to selected high school seniors who are heading off to higher education opportunities. Awards are given on the basis of financial need, scholastic achievement or improvement, community service and educational aspirations. Students who are residents of Wayne Township are encouraged to apply.

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
1) Residence in Wayne Township (call 260-449-7000 x 328 to verify that your address is in Wayne Township)
2) Graduation from a public or private high school by the spring of 2019
3) Acceptance to an institution of higher learning to start in the summer or fall of 2019
4) Meet the income eligibility guidelines

For those in the lower grades (up to grade 11) we offer the Academic Encouragement Award. Each student who submits a completed application showing achievement or improvement will receive an Academic Encouragement Certificate of Recognition, and the top submissions (based on the quality of your personal statement writing and your teacher/counselor recommendation) will be selected to receive a new, internet-ready electronic device.

You can stop in at our office to request a RAS Award Packet or an application for the Academic Encouragement Award, or send an email to pbrewer@waynetownship.org. For other questions or if you would like to make a donation towards the scholarships you can contact our office at (260) 449-7000 extension 328.

Finally, as spring would not be complete without a little St. Patrick’s Day celebration, I would like to recognize our own Wayne Township Board Member Tony Henry, whose Deer Park Irish Pub just won the title of the 2019 Best Craft Beer Bar in Indiana by Forbes magazine and CraftBeer.com.

Tony will be leading the 21st Annual Clover Classic Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Party from March 15th to the 17th. Also our own St Mary’s River will be turned green by the Fort Wayne Professional Firefighters at 11:00 am on the 17th, and you should be able to see that Green River from the deck of Curly’s Village Inn who’ll be celebrating by serving authentic Reuben sandwiches, corned beef and cabbage dinner and made-from-scratch Irish whiskey cake. All of this wearin’ of the green should make us feel, at least, that spring is very near.