The children of Union County veterans are now eligible for a new college scholarship program thanks to a local veterans organization.

The Veterans Memorial Lodge Board of Directors is offering the children of local veterans who are seniors in high school the opportunity to apply for the Veterans Memorial Lodge Scholarship. Torance Inman, an alternate member of the lodge’s board of directors, said the $1,000 scholarship is designed to help the children of local veterans with the financial costs of attending college. He said plans are for the scholarship to be awarded annually to a child of a local veteran.

“The Veterans Memorial Lodge Board of Directors wanted to award an annual scholarship to the son or daughter of a veteran,” Inman said. “They planned for this to be an annual scholarship beginning this year.”

Inman, who is also a member of American Legion Post 22, said the scholarship is similar to that awarded by Post 22 to members of the Union County High School JROTC. He said the main difference between the two is that the post’s scholarship goes to students who are members of the JROTC regardless of whether or not they are the child of a veteran while the park scholarship goes to graduating seniors who have at least one parent who’s a veteran regardless of whether or not the student is involved with the JROTC or pursues a career in the military.

“American Legion Post 22 is also doing a $1,000 scholarship to a committed JROTC student,” Inman said. “The recipients of that scholarship don’t have to be the child of a veteran, they just have to be a member of the JROTC. With this in mind, the park board felt it would be appropriate to make a scholarship available to students who are not committed to the JROTC or otherwise involved with the military but are the son or daughter of a parent who served in the military in a full-time capacity.”

A letter issued by the park board of directors states that the scholarship will be awarded to a graduating high school senior who has at least one parent who served in the US Armed Forces including the national guard and reserves. The parent or parents must have be active duty of at least one branch of the armed forces or guard member or reservist who was either deployed or called to active duty at some point during their service.

For the student’s part, they must be committed to attend a university or college. The scholarship will be paid directly to the university or college the student is committed to attending.

Applications for the Veterans Memorial Lodge Scholarship for 2012 must be submitted by Sunday, April 15. The applications must be mailed to Veterans Memorial Lodge Scholarship, c/o 135 W. Main St., Union 29379.

The recipient of the award will be determined by the Veterans Memorial Lodge Board of Directors.