OEO Establishes Scholarship Fund to Help Low-Income Families

Camden County, NJ ─ Camden County Council On Economic Opportunity, Inc. (Camden County OEO) hosted a Clean Comedy Contest on April 15, 2016 to raise funds to start a scholarship fund. The scholarship fund has a total of $5,000, which will be awarded to two (2) Camden County residents with low incomes to assist with the costs of college or trade school. Camden County OEO is proud to announce that the agency is accepting applications for the Step Up Scholarship Fund.

Eligible applicants must be a resident of Camden County. One award will be allocated for a Camden City resident due to the high rate of poverty in one of the poorest cities of America. Applicants must have the following: a C+ or better grade point average, a completed 1-page scholarship application, an acceptance letter from a college or trade school, a combined parents’ annual income of less than $60,000, a brief essay explaining why the applicant should receive the scholarship, and a high school diploma or equivalent.

“The Step Up Scholarship is a product of the Clean Comedy Contest we held earlier this year. Camden County OEO is proud to use this scholarship fund to help students with their post-secondary education costs. This scholarship directly supports the agency’s mission by uplifting Camden County residents with low incomes so they can become self-sufficient,” said Arnold N. Byrd, Executive Director of Camden County OEO.

Camden County OEO, a private, non-profit agency dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged individuals and families in Camden County to achieve self-sufficiency through a range of programs and services, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016.