Ed Wynn/SAFE Memorial Scholarship

About

The Ed Wynn/SAFE Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to provide an annual scholarship for the children of local first responders who want to pursue a college education or vocational training. In 2008, the Ed Wynn Memorial Scholarship Fund became a Lifetime Member of SAFE and became known as the Ed Wynn/SAFE Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund has awarded over $100,000 in financial assistance to the children of local first responders.

The Ed Wynn/SAFE Memorial Scholarship Fund previously relied on donations from the Annual Larry Stewart/SAFE Memorial Golf Classic. In the year 2020, safety restrictions resulting from the Covid Pandemic severely limited our ability to conduct any fundraising events. With that said, the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission and SAFE have remained committed to continuing our support for first responder families through benefit and holiday payments and these scholarships.

Details

Each year, the Ed Wynn/SAFE Memorial Scholarship Fund provides two qualifying high school seniors or college, trade or vocational students with assistance for expenses by offering each a one-time $5,000 academic scholarship.

2025 ESSAY TOPIC:

Describe in detail (1,000 words or less) what factors and/or people have influenced you in selecting your chosen path forward.
Finalists will be expected to present their composition in person or via Zoom for a selected panel.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Be a high school senior or college student or college level trade/vocational school student under the age of 23 pursuing an undergraduate degree or trade/vocational school equivalent.
Not be a previous awardee/winner of the Ed Wynn/SAFE Memorial Scholarship.
Have a current or last recorded GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Be of good character with no criminal background.
Be a child of or under the legal guardianship of a public safety officer (police officer, firefighter or EMT/paramedic) from an agency headquartered in one of the 12 counties covered by SAFE in Kansas: Shawnee, Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte; or in Missouri: Platte, Clay, Jackson, Cass, Henry and Buchanan.
Children of KC Crime Commission staff or board members are ineligible for this scholarship.