Yum-o! and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) Announce 2009 Scholarships

(Chicago, IL) — In partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! organization is pleased to announce Yum-o!’s 2009 scholarship initiative, which will provide funds to high school students committed to pursuing a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry.  

This spring, Yum-o! will award ten $2,500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are planning to enroll in a post-secondary foodservice program. In addition, if any of the scholarship recipients come from one of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program’s schools, Yum-o! will make a donation in the amount of half of the scholarship’s value to the student’s school in support of its programs.

UPDATE: Applications for the 2009 Yum-o! scholarships are no longer being accepted. For general information about how you can apply for a Yum-o! scholarship in the future, click here (under "Scholarships for First-Time Freshmen"). In addition, the NRAEF offers a variety of other scholarships through its Scholarships and Mentoring Program; more information on these scholarships is available, here.

Through Yum-o!, Rachael Ray is encouraging kids and families to make healthy and nutritious choices when it comes to cooking and eating. Applicants are encouraged to share their vision of a healthy relationship with food and cooking as part of their personal statement.

The NRAEF’s Scholarships Program awards $1.7 million annually to high school and undergraduate students and educators committed to furthering their education or professional development in restaurant and foodservice management. The NRAEF’s programs have proven successful at recruiting and training the workforce needed to meet the industry’s growth – 3 out of 4 students who have received an NRAEF scholarship are still studying and/or working in the industry.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) enhances the restaurant industry’s service to the public through education, community engagement, and promotion of career opportunities. The restaurant and foodservice industry is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 13 million employees, making it one of the nation’s largest employers. The NRAEF is focused on working with the Association to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation by providing the valuable tools and resources needed to educate our current and incoming employees. For more information on the NRAEF, visit www.nraef.org.

About the Yum-o! Organization
Yum-o!® is Rachael Ray’s nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships. By providing the tools to create easy, affordable and delicious meals, Yum-o! is changing the way America eats. For more information about the Yum-o! organization, please visit www.yum-o.org.

About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Along with their co-leader Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, the Alliance focuses on preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for all children and targets several areas to spark change and reduce the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. For more information about the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, visit www.healthiergeneration.org.

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