SOARing Forward reflects our continuing commitment to finding new ways of supporting our youths. This exciting program helps qualified SOAR students pay tuition, respond to emergency circumstances, and invest in their future through financial support for internships and vocational training.

SOAR students are eligible for SOARing Forward awards in the following categories:

• Donor-Directed Scholarships: This program allows an individual donor to fund a scholarship, including the option of restricting eligibility to students meeting specific criteria representing a particular interest or passion.

• SOAR Champion Award: This award recognizes a SOAR youth who has demonstrated outstanding characteristics reflecting SOAR’s mission and values, such as exceptional determination and resilience, academic effort, respect for self and others, or commitment to the SOAR community.

• Vocational Assistance: This award provides financial assistance to SOAR youths who have been accepted into accredited vocational programs or who need start-up tools for pursuing a vocation career.

• 3rd Party Internship/Workshop Stipend: This award provides wage-based financial support to SOAR college or vocational students who have been offered an unpaid internship or workshop beneficial to their future career goals or success, who would be unable to participate without SOAR assistance.

• Relief Fund: This award provides small grants to SOAR college or vocational school students who encounter unanticipated financial burdens which, without SOAR’s assistance, might jeopardize their continued academic progress.

If you are interested in supporting a SOAR youth who has a particular combination of academic achievement, career plans, or demographics through a Donor-Directed Scholarship, or if you would like to support one of the other SOARing Forward opportunities, please reach out. Program Manager Connor Henderson (connor.henderson@soarforyouth.org; 860-995-3401) can help facilitate your scholarship idea.