Children or spouses of workers injured on the job may benefit from an annual MEMIC scholarship program now entering its 22nd year.

The MEMIC Group is accepting applications for its Harvey Picker Horizon Scholarship Program, founded in 2001 to offer tuition assistance to children and spouses of workers who were seriously injured at work. MEMIC has awarded more than $242,000 in Horizon Scholarships to 49 students since the program’s inception.

Last year, the program benefited two brothers from Florida, a University of Maine student, and a woman who was completing her undergraduate degree when her father was injured at work and, as she said, “my life took a 180-degree turn.”

MEMIC Group President and CEO Michael P. Bourque said the 2022 recipients shared a dedication to turning around steep challenges by going to work part-time, helping at home, and often putting their own educations and careers on hold.

“Personally, I greatly admire the grit, sacrifice, and tenacity it takes for a young person to put the health and well-being of a stricken family member above their own aspirations,” Bourque said. “We are enthusiastic about helping reward those sacrifices with our Horizon Scholarship program, and thrilled to help turn around a tough situation with funds that assist them in continuing their higher educations.”

The scholarship is named for former Camden, Maine, resident Harvey Picker, a renowned physicist, educator, philanthropist, and advocate for education. In 1992, Picker was appointed by then-Gov. John R. McKernan as a member of the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Workers’ Compensation, which led to the formation of MEMIC. Picker also served as a member of the MEMIC Board of Directors.

Bourque noted that many Horizon Scholarship recipients who witnessed a family member suffer injury or temporarily lose employment went on to use their awards to pursue careers in health care and injury management. “It’s clear the impact the injuries have had on them as people,” he said. “To see Horizon Scholarships provide a positive counterweight to that impact is gratifying to all of us here at MEMIC.”

“We recognize workers’ compensation can cover medical treatment and a percentage of lost wages but cannot entirely eliminate the stress and strain an injury can cause a family,” Bourque said. “We hope our Horizon Scholarships for higher education help fulfill the aspirations of those whose lives have been disrupted as a result of a workplace injury or death.”

Applicants must complete the application by April 28, 2023, to be considered for a scholarship of up to $10,000. To be eligible, the related injured worker must have been working for a MEMIC policyholder at the time of injury. Applications are reviewed by a selection committee for financial need, academic performance, community involvement, other life experiences, and future promise. Students must be attending or planning to attend an accredited college or university.

For more information and to request a copy of the application, call 1-800-660-1306 and say “Horizon Scholarship” at the prompt, or visit memic.com/horizon.