• Contacting a local organization is often one of the best ways to find aid after a tragedy.hands image by Empath from Fotolia.com
  
  Many scholarship opportunities for victims of a house fire are available to students specific to the impact the event has had. Organizations like The St Florian Fire and Burn Foundation, for example, offer scholarships to select burn victims. Those who have been made temporarily or permanently homeless can also seek scholarship aid through organizations like The Le Tendre Education Fund for Homeless Children. Just knowing about fire safety and prevention can also merit scholarships, as described by The American Fire Sprinkler Association, which rewards select students for completing an open-book test on fire sprinklers.
  
  

The Le Tendre Education Fund for Homeless Children

• Victims displaced into shelters or who lack "a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence," by federal definition of homelessness, may consider The Le Tendre Education Fund for Homeless Children, which offers a minimum of two $1,500 scholarships annually. Along with an application and an official school transcript (include class ranking, if available), students must submit a 500- to 1,000-word essay on the impact of homelessness on their lives and their desire to pursue a higher education. At least one letter of recommendation is also required from a teacher, counselor or adult familiar with the applicant's qualifications and experiences.
  
  Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D.
  
  The LeTendre Education Fund
  
  The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
  
  9176 Harvey Hollow Drive
  
  Mechanicsville, VA 23116
  
  Fax: (757) 221-5300
  
  naehcy.org/letendre_ab.html
  
  

The St. Florian Fire and Burn Foundation

• For students residing in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa or Illinois, The St Florian Fire and Burn Foundation offers up to two $2,000 scholarships annually to survivors of traumatic burns between the ages of 17 and 35. By definition of St Florian, a traumatic burn is "a second-degree burn covering 10 percent or more of your body surface area (BSA), a third-degree burn covering 3 percent or more of your (BSA) or a burn injury that required a skin graft."
  
  St. Florian Scholarship
  
  PO Box 3451
  
  Sioux City, IA 51102
  
  stflorian-siouxcity.org/pdf/scholarship_application.pdf
  
  

The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation

• For students residing in New York City, The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation provides grants to victims of fire disaster as well as children of firefighters and other victims of September 11th. To apply, applicants must submit two letters of recommendation, a copy of your or your parents' income tax report for the past 2 years, an official high school transcript, SAT (or ACT) scores and a one-page minimum (single-spaced) essay stating your college and career goals and how The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation could help.
  
  The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation
  
  P.O. Box 132
  
  Bronx, NY 10465
  
  mlynch.org/ml/index.htm
  
  

The American Fire Sprinkler Association

• For scholarships involving fire safety awareness and education, The American Fire Sprinkler Association offers 15 scholarships to both current high school seniors and former high school graduates. To apply, applicants are to read the AFSA's "Fire Sprinkler Essay" provided online and complete an open-book test consisting of 10 multiple choice questions on the material. Submissions are proceeded electronically through the AFSA website.
  
  afsascholarship.org/secondchanceinformation.html