Miami, FL (October 27, 2009) – Salute to Education (STE), the scholarship program funded by the South Florida Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers for the past 16 years, has announced that it is currently accepting applications online for their $1,000 scholarships. Deadline to submit the applications online is January 27, 2010. 

This year, the South Florida Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers will be awarding $140,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Miami-Dade and Broward County public and private high schools ($70,000 to 70 students in each county).  Students who apply must meet the criteria and requirements to apply for the scholarship which are listed online. 

Students may apply online at www.stescholarships.org. Applicants must complete a series of questions, including four essays, as part of the application process. Scholarship guidelines require applicants choose from one of the four main categories in which he/she is qualified. The categories are 1) Athletics, 2) Arts (Language Arts/Foreign Language & Performing/Visual Arts), 3) Leadership/Service, and 4) Sciences (Mathematics/Computer Science & Natural Science).  Only one category may be chosen.

A Scholarship Committee comprised of community, civic and educational leaders judge each application and selects 70 students from Miami-Dade County and another 70 students from Broward County. Scholarship recipients will be honored at the annual Salute to Education Scholarship Awards Luncheon on June 12, 2010 at Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Hotel in Dania, Florida.

“We recognize the tremendous potential in the students within our communities and we are committed to helping them pursue their dreams of a higher education,” said Victor Benitez, President of Salute to Education and Vice President of Gus Machado Ford.  “With the consistent rise in college tuition, students have come to rely on scholarships like ours to help fund their schooling.  Although we live in challenging economic times, the South Florida Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers are still committed to continuing granting scholarships and assisting high school seniors in South Florida with their educational goals!”

The 19 Miami-Dade and Broward County Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealers and Ford Motor Company have awarded over $3.1 million in scholarships to more than 3,200 deserving public and private high school seniors in both counties.   Salute to Education is a non-profit organization funded through dealership contributions and corporate support from Ford Division, Lincoln Mercury Division, Ford Credit and Ford Customer Service Division.