Scholarship Contest Update

It's been three weeks since the My Life as 3D Scholarship Essay Contest officially got underway. So far, we've received four entries, which, to be honest, is a couple more than I expected to have at this point. With the deadline being July 3rd, my calendar tells me we still have seven weeks to go. Hopefully there are kids out there who are working on their essays, or maybe plotting their essay strategy. I would love to get a bunch of entries submitted as the deadline date approaches.

The entries submitted thus far have come from California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Delaware. If nothing else, this shows that the thing we call the Internet reaches from coast-to-coast. Apparently, it reaches around the world, too, because I received inquiries from people in Canada and South Africa who wanted to know if they could enter the contest. (They can't. It's only open to students in the U.S.)

Reading the first four essays was pretty emotional for me. All of these kids who have been affected by their sibling's addiction have such similar stories and experiences; yet, at the same time, each story is unique. I found things in all of them that resonated with me as things that my younger son experienced during his older brother's struggle.

While reading these courageous stories, two thoughts kept popping into my head:

1.) I'm so glad I decided to do this.

2.) I wish I could give money to everyone who enters.

I know $1,200.00 isn't the largest scholarship anyone's ever given away. But I also know that when it comes to paying college tuition, every little bit helps. I'm thrilled that this scholarship will be that "little bit" for someone.

As far as wanting to give money to everyone who enters goes, I think that's only natural. In my mind, every young person affected by their brother or sister's addiction deserves a little something. Lord knows it's going to be incredibly tough to choose just one person as our winner.

If by chance you or someone you know would like to contribute to this scholarship fund, the GoFundMe campaign is still up and running. Feel free to head over there and make a donation. If more money is contributed, we can consider giving scholarships to more than one student. Maybe a runner-up prize, or second and third place.

Here's the link to the GoFundMe page:

http://www.gofundme.com/college4asibling

If you've ever been affected by addiction, either directly or indirectly, please consider making a donation, even if it's just a few bucks.

Siblings of those who suffer from addiction go through so much that they didn't ask for. A lot of times, the shit hits the fan for them at a very young age, too. They grow up seeing and hearing awful things, and wondering if the person they love is going to live or die. Sharing their stories is one way for them to get rid of some of those negative feelings they have.

Be sure to share the details of this essay contest with anyone who might be interested. Everything they need to know should be at these two links:

(NOTE: These links are to Microsoft Word documents saved to Google Docs.)

My Life as 3D Scholarship Essay Contest: Rules

My Life as 3D Scholarship Essay Contest: Application/Entry Form

If you have any questions about the scholarship, or if you have any problems with the documents, please contact us at:

siblingscholarship@gmail.com

Peace.

"Shame needs three things to grow out of control in our lives: secrecy, silence, and judgment. When something shaming happens and we keep it locked up, it festers and grows. It consumes us. We need to share our experience . . . . Shame hates it when we reach out and tell our story. It hates having words wrapped around it—it can’t survive being shared." --Brené Brown

Who doesn't love SpongeBob?