Four floral design programs have received a total of $30,000 through the American Floral Endowment‘s James and Helen Phillip Program.
This program honors the late James and Helen Phillip. The two were retail florists in the Chicago area. It provides scholarship assistance to students interested in careers in the retail sector of the floral industry. The James and Helen Phillip Scholarship Fund was established with a $500,000 donation by their daughter, Lee Phillip Bell, in 2008.
This gift aims to achieve several goals. “It will go a long way toward helping people in need while creating a pool of trained workers to fill positions in retail flower shops,” said Bell’s nephew, Jim Phillip. “Because the principal will never be touched, this Fund will leave a perpetual legacy to honor Jim and Helen Phillip — giving back to an industry which they dearly loved.”Since inception, more than 150 students have been awarded scholarships for floral design courses.
The institutions receiving grants in 2019 – 2020 are:
• Kishwaukee College — $7,000
• The Ohio State University ATI — $7,000
• Mississippi State University — $8,000
• Texas A&M University — $8,000
Application deadline is March 1 each year. For more information, visit this webpage.