Local Nonprofit Awards $74,000 in Scholarships

Vernal, UT – The Foundation for Healthy Communities of Northeastern Utah (HCNEU) awarded $74,000 in scholarships to 18 high school seniors at the end of the 2024-25 school year. HCNEU gave scholarship money to students who fulfilled the requirements of the Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) program, which focuses on facilitating peer-to-peer tobacco prevention among teens.

SWAT meeting groups are held at each high school in the Uintah Basin and are facilitated by the TriCounty Health Department. SWAT students fulfill nine objectives, including designing and completing a project of their own choosing, in order to be eligible for the scholarship. Students are encouraged to join SWAT as they enter high school in preparation to apply for the scholarship their senior year.

HCNEU is a proponent of creating and sustaining healthy communities, and its board understands that a large part of creating lasting community change begins with young people. The foundation is proud to have recognized youth who worked diligently to promote living a tobacco-free lifestyle.