ABOUT CHARLES AND ALBERTA WALTHER
The scholarship fund was established in 1999 from the bequest of Charles and Alberta Walther to honor their association with the Omaha Fire Division and fellow firefighters. Charles F. Walther (1911-1997) served as assistant Fire Chief with the Omaha Fire Division for 40 years. He also served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945, making 40 combat missions as a waist gunner on a B-24 heavy bomber, “The Bird’s Eye View”, in the Pacific war zone. Walther was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 6 Oak Clusters, and three Battle Stars with the 431 Bomber Squad. He was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Reserves. Charles’s wife Alberta (Bert) predeceased him in 1993.
THE PROGRAM
The Charles and Alberta Walther Scholarship Fund administered through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. (agent) assists children and grandchildren of Omaha firefighters who plan to continue education in college, vocational school, or graduate school. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at an accredited institution of the student’s choice.
This scholarship program is administered by Scholarship America. Scholarship America is the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, disability or national origin. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Applicants to the Charles & Alberta Walther Scholarship Fund must be:
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $2,500 award. Up to three (3) awards will be granted to students attending a four-year college or university. One (1) award will be granted to a student attending a two-year college or vocational-technical school leading to an associate degree or certificate. If there is not a qualified two-year college or vocational-technical school applicant, the award will remain unfilled.
Awards are not renewable, but students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Awards are for undergraduate and graduate study only.
Awards are for these qualified education–related expenses only: tuition, required fees, and
books/supplies.
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. (agent) in early August. Checks are mailed to each student and are made payable to the school for the student
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
Financial need is not considered.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. or the Omaha Fire Department play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Applicants will be notified in April. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.
As part of your application, you must upload the following documents:
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 10, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time.
Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.
