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Suffolk is fortunate to have a wide variety of community organizations that are constantly working for the betterment of our city — and that includes offering college scholarships.

This is the time of year to apply for all sorts of scholarships, and there are literally dozens of them out there just in Suffolk, if you know where to look.

There’s some big money to be had locally, and some of these scholarships sometimes see very few applicants. These groups, organizations and even individual benefactors really want to give this money away, and we encourage all local students to apply for every one for which they’re qualified.

The Suffolk Foundation manages quite a number of scholarships that are for local students only. If you’re a graduating senior from a local high school, you’re already meeting the minimum qualification for at least a few of them. Visit suffolkfoundation.org/scholarships to see all of the scholarships, the award amounts, the due dates, and all of the qualifications.

The Suffolk-Nansemond Chapter of Izaak Walton League of America also is offering scholarships it announced recently. That group’s scholarships are for students who are pursuing a course of study related to conservation and the environment. You can visit sniwla.org/sniwla/2020-scholarships to learn more.

The Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute offers scholarships each year for students pursuing criminal justice or law enforcement studies. You can visit www.suffolkva.us/583/Scholarship-Program to find more information.

That’s just a short list of some scholarship announcements that have been in our paper recently. We encourage all college-bound seniors, or those already in college, to check out some of these other possibilities:

• The S. Delois Mayes Scholarship Foundation
• The Quantez Russell Scholarship Fund
• The Suffolk Education Foundation
• The Suffolk Rotary Club
• Your local Ruritan Club, Woman’s Club or church
• Your parents’ or grandparents’ employers
• Organizations where you have volunteered
• Organizations that are active in your anticipated field of major

Good luck to all of our seniors who are applying for scholarships! We look forward to reporting on your success in the months ahead.