Florida Fraternal Order of Police
District Three Lodges, Inc.
2021 Scholarship Process & Rules for All Applicants
The Fraternal Order of Police, District Three Lodges, Inc., will provide four (4) one-year scholarship awards each year in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) to four (4) children of members of the Fraternal Order of Police, District Three Lodges, Inc.
A scholarship committee consisting of three or more members will be formed. The committee chairman will be the Assistant District Director. The committee members may be State Trustees or any active member of subordinate lodges within District Three and will be appointed by the District Three Director.
The Committee Chairman will not have a vote in the selection of the scholarship winners. It will be the responsibility of the chairman to receive all scholarship applications and essays. All essays will be edited by the Committee Chairman so that the identity of the writer remains anonymous to the committee members during the selection process. Each essay will be assigned a number that will identify the writer to the committee and his/her submission. The chairman will send each committee member a packet of all essays submitted. When each committee member has made their individual selections, they will rank the submissions and return their findings to the chairman. The chairman will tabulate the results and identify the winners. The chairman will maintain a file of all applicants and essays until the winners are announced and through the next regularly scheduled District Three meeting.
The Committee members will be the sole judges of the essays. They will assist the Chairman in the selection of the yearly essay topic. The Scholarship Committee has selected the following topic: Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention in today’s current policing environment. The committee shall also be prepared to meet and discuss any problems that may arise during the selection process. Of course, no copying/pasting or plagiarizing. Please submit your application and essay to Mark Mitchell, 12947 Solola Way, Trinity, FL 34655.
The Scholarship Committee will meet during the Florida State Lodge June conference to select a candidate for submission to the State Lodge Scholarship Committee. The selection will meet all State Lodge requirements and will be made from the applications submitted to the District, not necessarily the District Three winner.
District Three will begin accepting applications and essays on January 1st of 2021, until March 31stof 2021, unless extended by the Committee Chairperson to allow time for all applications to be completed, at which time applications will cease for the year. The topic for the essay will be announced at the regularly scheduled District Three meeting in the month of December of the preceding year.
The Scholarship Committee will announce the four winners at the regularly scheduled District Three meeting in April of each year. The winners will be notified as soon as possible after the selection process and prior to the June meeting in order to notify their respective schools and be present at the meeting to receive their award.
Applicant Qualifications:
1. The applicant must be the dependent child of an active member in good standing of a subordinate lodge of District Three.
2. The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or an active full-time college student enrolled at a regionally accredited college or university.
3. The applicant must provide the District Three Scholarship Committee with proof of enrollment or acceptance to the institution they plan to attend.
4. The applicant does not have to be seeking a degree in Criminal Justice or law enforcement.
5. The applicant must write an essay on a subject selected by the Committee.
6. The essay will be a minimum of 1500 words and a maximum of 2000 words.
7. Applicants must submit completed applications and essays. Any submissions that are not complete will not be considered in the competition.
9. The Scholarship Committee will make the District Three application and the State application available to all lodges within District three.
10. Any winning applicant may compete in the annual scholarship competition as long as they are seeking an undergraduate degree and are full-time students.
11. This scholarship award is a one-year scholarship.
Florida FOP – District Three Scholarship Committee
Mark Mitchell – Chairman (Lodge 29) (727) 514-1581
CJ Messina – Committee Person (Lodge 43)
Bill Carew – Committee Person (Lodge 46)