The Hormel Foundation’s announcement on Wednesday afternoon can change the future for many prospective seniors.

Gary Ray, foundation president, shared with reporters that the Hormel Foundation’s Board of Directors will help send future seniors to obtain a two-year college degree from Riverland Community College starting in fall 2019, tuition-free.

This plan was being worked on by the foundation along with Riverland Community College and the Austin Public Schools and Pacelli Catholic Schools for about three years, according to Ray.

“We will evaluate the program after several years,” he said. “But we hope to keep this in place for the foreseeable future.”

There will be a set of criteria set for eligible students. One of the stipulations for seniors would be to begin attending Austin Public Schools starting their freshman year and that they also volunteer about 60 hours worth of community service.

While there are no plans to extend the program to Albert Lea and Owatonna students, students from Austin and Pacelli can still sign up to take classes at the Albert Lea and Owatonna campuses and still be eligible for this scholarship.

Read the full story here: ‘A game changer’ – Hormel Foundation unveils ‘assurance scholarship’ program to help APS, Pacelli students attend Riverland debt-free