Alabama Power Foundation Awards more than $50,000 for scholarships

The Alabama Power Foundation has awarded more than $50,000 for college, technical school or vocational school scholarships for 2008. The $1,250 individual scholarships are awarded to the dependent children of active, retired or deceased Alabama Power employees.

Winners are selected based on academic merit and financial need by an independent organization, Scholarship Program Administrators Inc. The award is renewable for the number of years normally required to complete an undergraduate or technical degree program, provided the recipient makes satisfactory academic progress.

“The future of our state – the quality of life and economic growth we will experience – hinges on our ability to provide a quality education for our young people,” said Charles McCrary, president and CEO of Alabama Power. “By providing these scholarships, the Alabama Power Foundation is not only investing in the lives of these talented young people, we’re investing in Alabama.”

Morgan Turner of Satsuma High School is the 2008 Presidential Scholar. She is the daughter of Bryan Turner, a plant control operator at the Barry Electric Generating Plant, 25 miles north of Mobile. Morgan receives an award equivalent to four years of tuition and mandatory fees.

The Presidential Scholar is a high school senior with the most impressive combination of academic achievement, standardized test results, participation in extracurricular and community activities, leadership qualities and financial need.

The Alabama Power Foundation scholarship program was established in 1991 and has awarded more than 800 new scholarships and more than 1,600 renewed scholarships. Combined with the Presidential Scholar Award, the foundation has distributed more than $2.8 million in scholarships.

The Alabama Power Foundation works to improve the quality of life of Alabamians and strengthen the communities in which they live. Since 1990, the foundation has provided more than $100 million in grants to worthy projects across Alabama. Details about the foundation are available at www.alabamapowerfoundation.com.