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For Immediate Release Date: 03/04/2004 Contact: Van-Nghi Tran 202-223-5500 OCA CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2004 OCA-SYSCO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Washington, DC – The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) is teaming up with SYSCO Corporation to introduce the 2004 OCA-SYSCO Scholarship Program. Six scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to financially disadvantaged Asian Pacific American (APA) high school seniors who will be entering their first year of college this fall. Scholarships and financial aid are critical in helping students from lower income families attain a college education. The APA population is nearly 12 million with a poverty rate of 12.6 percent, compared with 9 percent for non-Hispanic Whites in 1999, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Although APAs are often made victims of the model minority myth, and thus lack access to additional financial resources to pay for college, most APAs do not fit into the highly educated and wealthy category dictated by this stereotype. The scholarship will provide opportunities to APA students who wish to pursue higher education while facing financial difficulties. "OCA and SYSCO Corporation are dedicated to education in the APA community," commented OCA Bational President Raymond Wong. "SYSCO Corporation recognizes the need to provide opportunities to APA students who do not have access to the financial resources necessary to pursue higher education." Within the last eight years, OCA has awarded over 1300 scholarships to financially disadvantaged students through its various scholarship programs. "Education has always been a high priority in the Asian Pacific American community." noted Christine Chen, OCA Executive Director. "Although the average level of education for APAs is high, the statistics are misleading. Although there are many members of our community who have advanced degrees, there are countless APAs who are unable to attend college because of financial difficulties. Through our many scholarships - including the OCA-SYSCO Scholarship- OCA is committed to granting deserving APA students a chance they otherwise would not get." SYSCO is the largest foodservice marketing and distribution organization in North America, providing food and related products and services to approximately 420,000 restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other foodservice customers. The company generated sales of $27.5 billion for calendar year 2003. SYSCO's operations are located throughout the United States and Canada and include broadline companies, specialty produce and custom-cut meat operations, Asian foodservice and hotel supply operations and SYGMA, the company's chain restaurant distribution subsidiary. SYSCO Corporation has received numerous awards and recognition for donations to food banks and other programs including the Second Harvest National Food Bank. In addition, each of SYSCO Corporation's operating companies serves its community independently, assisting charities and volunteer organizations, including homeless shelters, donating products to food banks and providing meals to volunteers. At the corporate office, the company also has enjoyed longstanding relationships with organizations such as the United Way and the March of Dimes. For more information about SYSCO visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com. For more information on OCA’s scholarship programs and an application, students may go to OCA’s website at www.ocanatl.org. The deadline for applying to the 2004 OCA-SYSCO Scholarship Program is May 1, 2004. |
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