RDVF Scholarships

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RDVF Scholarship Instructions (2024):

The RDVF Scholarship Program has grown significantly over the years. Today’s foundation is dedicated to its continued growth and has extended the program to include eligibility to all Soldiers assigned to “Aligned for Training” Brigades of the 42nd Infantry Division.  Each year the RDVF scholarship   committee reviews applications from eligible college-age students and selects winners and scholarship amounts. (Only undergraduate students are being considered at this time)

Through the generosity of families and organizations and/or the significant efforts of members who have managed the scholarship program over the years the following endowed scholarships exist:

RDVF Diamond Awards: (in perpetuity)

  • The Stillman F. Sawyer Award
  • The Walter and Virginia Duhaseck Award
  • The Edward and Lillian Kaiser Award
  • The News Corp – Sgt Robert T. Kennedy Award
  • The Major General Joseph J. Taluto Award

RDVF Platinum Awards: (six years)

  • 42d Infantry Division Association Award
  • 242 Infantry Regiment Award
  • 222 Infantry Regiment Award
  • The Lon and Colleen Peck Award 

RDVF Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be listed in the Annual Program Honorary Awards:

  • Ted Simonson Award
  • Ted Johnson Award

Additional awards may be given at the recommendation of the scholarship committee.

Eligibility: Previous RDVF Scholarship award recipients are not eligible to apply.  A Scholarship Applicant must be either a graduating high school senior who is accepted to a college, enrolled in college, and/or eligible to attend college in the fall and who is also one of the following:

  1. A current Soldier, in good standing, assigned to the following 42nd Infantry Division units:
    • 42nd Infantry Division (NY ARNG)
    • 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (27th IBCT) (NY ARNG)
    • 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (44th IBCT) (NJ ARNG)
    • 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (86th IBCT) (VT ARNG)
    • 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade (42nd CAB) (NY ARNG)
    • 197th Field Artillery Brigade (197th FAB) (NH ARNG)
    • 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (26th MEB) (MA ARNG)
    • 369th Sustainment Brigade (NY ARNG)
  2. A descendant of a current RDVF Veteran or Legacy Member (A descendant is defined as: All spouses, children, spouses of children, descendants and spouses, and all blood and adopted relatives and their spouses, or…
  3. An immediate Gold Star Family Member of an OIF/OEF Soldier (or a more recent Named-Operation) who died in service under the command of a 42nd Infantry Division unit. (Mother, Father, Sibling, Spouse, or Child)

Sponsorship Requirement:  All applicants must be sponsored by a current RDVF Veteran or Legacy Member who is a paid-up Lifetime Member prior to the date of application.  

  1. Applicant: The applicant is responsible to obtain a sponsor and to coordinate that portion of the application process with them. Assistance with securing sponsorship may be requested by contacting the Scholarship Chairman.
  2. Sponsor: The Scholarship Sponsor must be a valid RDVF Lifetime member and can only sponsor one applicant per scholarship year. The RDVF Lifetime member start date must be included on the application.  Life Membership information can be found under the Member Center Tab at www.Rainbowvets.org  The sponsor must vouch for the applicant’s eligibility in writing.  Veteran and Legacy RDVF Members can sponsor their own descendants as long as they meet the Lifetime membership criteria.

Application Process: 

To be considered for a scholarship, an applicant must provide a completed application packet which includes the following:

  1.  A completed scholarship application form (included with these instructions).
  2.  A letter of nomination from the scholarship sponsor which clearly delineates the applicant’s eligibility to apply and the sponsor’s review certifying the application is complete.
  3. Official high school transcripts and/or official college transcripts as appropriate. Please note any        Advanced Placement (AP) or Honors (H) Courses.
  4. SAT and/or ACT scores must be submitted separately if they are not already recorded on the official transcript.
  5. Two letters of recommendation: One letter must be from a school representative (teacher, professor, coach, counselor, principal etc.) The second letter can be a general character reference.
  6. Essay consisting of at least 750 words, but no more than 1500 words that covers the following topics: 
    1. Briefly describe your educational career to date, discussing why you selected the college/university and course of study that you did.
    2. Briefly describe you interests, hobbies, sports, extracurricular activities and why they are important to you.
    3. Discuss your relationship to the person who sponsored you for this scholarship or, if a Gold Star Family applicant, you may discuss your relationship to the deceased Soldier. Illustrate how that individual’s service in the 42nd Infantry Division lent itself to the creation of an enduring commitment to worldwide understanding, permanent peace and respect for the rights of individuals in all nations.
    4. Finally, discuss what that person’s service means to you. How can their experiences or the lessons he or she learned as a member of the 42nd Infantry Division be applied to your own personal growth, selected educational path and potential career field.
  7. When preparing your essay, please review our website www.rainbowvets.org for history and information related to the 42nd Infantry (Rainbow) Division and the Rainbow Division Veterans Foundation.
  8. The application period is from March 1st through July 15th of each year. Inquiries and completed applications with supporting material must be mailed or electronically submitted to:

Tammy E. Moss-Hicks, Scholarship Chair
18 Columbine Ave., South Glens Falls, NY 12803
Tel: 518-409-0610 or Email: 42IDscholars@gmail.com 

9. The postmark or email deadline for completed applications is July 15, 2024.  Accuracy and completeness is the responsibility of the applicant.  When mailing the application packet please use a minimum 9×12 size envelope so that no pages are folded.  When emailing the application, send all available documents together in a single portable document file (pdf) format.  The Scholarship Committee expects all official transcripts to arrive separately from the responsible institution.   

The scholarship committee will evaluate each applicant utilizing a merit evaluation process, examining academics, extracurricular activities, committee member assessment and applicant essay. Individual scholarships have ranged from $500 to $5,000 in past years; however, available funds dictate scholarship amounts and numbers each year.