“We received nine applications from employees in each of the qualified divisions in this initial cycle,” said Joe Poole, development liaison for the fund. “It is certainly encouraging to have a response like this on the first go around.”

Applicants must be current non-management Colonial Williamsburg employees who work in the Historic Area, collections and museums division, and landscape services department. The total award amount available via applications in 2007 is $12,500.

Application deadline for the fall Gonzales Field Experience award is Sept. 15. The fall award winners will be announced by late November.

The scholarship was named in memory of the late Donald Gonzales, retired Colonial Williamsburg vice president of public affairs, and his wife Mary.

Established in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nation’s founding men and women. Within the restored and reconstructed buildings, historic interpreters, attired as colonial men and women from slaves to shopkeepers to soldiers, relate stories of colonial Virginia society and culture — stories of our journey to become Americans – while historic tradespeople research, demonstrate and preserve the 18th-century world of work and industry. As Colonial Williamsburg interprets life in the time of the American Revolution for its guests, it also invites them to interact with history. Williamsburg is located 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., off Interstate 64. For more information or reservations, call toll-free 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg on the Internet at www.ColonialWilliamsburg.com.

Media Contact:
Penna Rogers
(757) 220-7121