Union Township Firefighter Benefit Fund awards $1,000 scholarships

On Thursday, May 26, the Union Township Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 3412 awarded two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from Glen Este.

Local 3412 President Michael Smith and other Local Electoral Board members presented the scholarships to Union Township residents Jessica Torbeck and Taylor Erwin who were chosen for their dedication to public service.

Torbeck will attend Thomas More College in the fall to study forensic chemistry and Erwin will attend the University of Cincinnati to pursue a degree in early education.

The scholarships are funded by the Local 3412 Firefighter Benefit Fund. The Fund was created in 1999 to provide financial aid to local high school graduates and to support local firefighters and their families in times of hardship due to injury or illness.

Firefighter, Secretary and Event Coordinator of Local 3412, Tim Stephens said, “We are thrilled to provide these scholarships. The service offered to the community through the students’ pursuit of higher education in a public service field is invaluable. We hope that our support will cultivate their ambitions and encourage the students’ continued success.”

The Firefighter Benefit Fund is largely financially supported by their annual Fire in the Hole golf outing, which will take place September 14th, 2011 at Legendary Run Golf Course. They are currently accepting sponsorships from local businesses.

For more information, to submit a donation, or to become a sponsor, please email Firefighter Tim Stephens at tstephens351@gmail.com.