The Cooperative Resources International (CRI) Founders Scholarship was established to honor the cooperative's pioneering leaders like K.E. Wallin, Max Drake, Charlie Krumm, Norris Carnes, Dave Yoder, Willys Gjermundson and others who were affiliated with organizations now a part of CRI.

The CRI Founders Scholarship is awarded annually to children (a dependent, natural or legally-adopted child or stepchild) of full-time employees of the cooperative (CRI, Genex or AgSource) who have been employed for at least one year as of the scholarship deadline.

The scholarship is made available to reward young people within the CRI family who have demonstrated exceptional academic and leadership skills and have a desire to advance their education beyond traditional high school. As CRI is a dedicated agriculture organization, emphasis is given to applicants pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field (the emphasis is in the form of five bonus points, see scorecard); however, those entering other fields of study are encouraged to apply.

A minimum of three CRI Founders Scholarships with a value of $750 each are awarded annually to graduating high school seniors planning to attend a two-year technical school or four-year college/university in the fall. Scholarship selections are made by a panel of judges with no affiliation to CRI. Scholarship selections are based on the question and answer portion of the application. The following scorecard is utilized for judging the five answers provided by the applicant.

Selection Scorecard:

*Bonus: Five additional points are awarded to applicants pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field.

To Apply: Applicants must complete and submit the scholarship application online. Applicants must also submit two letters of recommendation and a photograph of themselves to: Cooperative Resources International, ℅ Jenny Hanson, P.O. Box 469, Shawano, WI 54166 or jlhanson@crinet.com.

For More Information: Contact Jenny Hanson at 715-526-7503 or jlhanson@crinet.com.

Scholarship applications are not currently being accepted. The application period for spring 2014 high school graduates will open in January 2014.