The “Officer Ed” Scholarship is sponsored by the Optimist Club of Saginaw in memory of Edwin F. Nowaczyk, a longtime member of the Optimist Club and School Safety Officer for the City of Saginaw Police Department. Better known as “Officer Ed” to the thousands of children who loved and worked with him, Officer Ed was responsible for the school pedestrian and traffic safety programs. He was also instrumental in developing the school safety patrol program.
Although Officer Ed may be best remembered for his involvement with child safety programs, he also served as accident investigator, police community relations specialist and juvenile investigator with the Police Department. During his 38 years in law enforcement, Officer Ed received several letters of commendation and was the first recipient of the Saginaw Police Department’s “Lifetime Meritorious Service Award.”
Qualifications
- Minimum 2.0 GPA
- High school senior
- Saginaw County resident
- Pursuing a degree in criminal justice or law enforcement (not law school)
- Full-time enrollment
Evaluation Criteria
- Commitment to career in law enforcement as demonstrated in essay (20)
- Type of criminal justice career planned (15)
- Leadership (15)
- Awards and honors (15)
- Recommendations (5)
- Scholastic record (10)
- Outside activities (10)
- Extracurricular activities (10)
Finalists will be interviewed based on preliminary scores