THE PAUL SODERLIND MEMORIAL

SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Changes announced to the Paul Soderlind Memorial Scholarship Fund

A lot has happened in 2009 to change the future operation of the Paul Soderlind Memorial Scholarship Fund (PSMSF).  Because of several considerations, the Board of Directors of the Fund unanimously voted in late 2009 that Wings Financial Credit Union would handle the application process and recipient selection along with managing their own scholarship program. A member of the PSMSF Board will become a member of the Wings Scholarship Selection Committee.  Financial control will continue to be the responsibility of the PSMSF Secretary /Treasurer and Wings will continue to be the depository for all Fund money.   

There will be two scholarships awarded annually by Wings Financial under the sponsorship of the PSMSF.  The amount of the scholarship will be a one time $5,000 award. The applicant must be an employee of the former Northwest Airlines OR related either as child, grandchild or great grandchild of a current (at the time of the merger with Delta) or retired former Northwest Airlines employee.  Step-children are also eligible.  The applicant must be attending or accepted for admission to an accredited college or university or vocational/technical school. 

Applicants who wish to apply for the PSMSF scholarship and who meet the eligibility requirements must provide a completed application by mid-February of each year.  The application must include a completed scholarship application form.  The appearance, style, structure, grammar and content will be considered when determining the recipient of the scholarship.  It must also include a 300 word essay that discusses your career goals and why you selected your school of choice as the next step in your education.

Applications are available in PDF form on line at www.wingsfinancial.com or may be picked up at any Wings Financial office.  They can also be mailed to you upon request from their offices.  See the Wings Financial web site for more information regarding the PSMSF and the other Wings Financial scholarships that are being offered.  Information is usually posted in mid-October prior to the February deadline.

Although there is no direct connection between the Fund and the Retired Northwest Pilots Association, its members continue to contribute to the PSMSF through auctions, raffles, and personal donations.  Individual donations can be made by sending a check to Thomas P. Schellinger, PO Box 240928, Apple Valley, MN, 55124, made out to the Paul Soderlind Memorial Scholarship Fund, along with a note explaining your wishes.  You will be issued an acknowledgement of your donation.  The PSMSF remains a 501c3 corporation and all donations are tax deductible.  If you have any questions regarding the scholarship program after reading about it on the Wings Financial web site, feel free to call Tom Schellinger (952-953-4378) or contact the Wings Financial Credit Union.