In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, organizations around the country, including the NCAA, contributed to worthy causes to try to ease some of the pain of those whose loved ones were lost.

The Association contributed $5 million to The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which offers aid for college educations to the children and spouses of the September 11 victims.

Thanks to the NCAA, and other groups that contributed, this fund has grown to about $125 million as of last month.

"These funds were provided through the generosity of the NCAA membership to meet a specific need for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks," said Jim Isch, senior vice-president for administration and chief financial officer for the NCAA. "We're very pleased with what has been accomplished with the donations from the NCAA and other organizations. Although we can never relieve the pain of those who lost loved ones, we're thankful that we can be a part of the healing and help them have a brighter future through higher education."

The funds are expected to last more than 20 years, so even children who may not have been born at the time of the attacks will have money available to help them receive a college education, said Marilyn E. Rundell, vice-president of ScholarshipAmerica, the group that oversees the fund.

"We were hoping to raise $100 million, because based on the early estimates of the number of victims, and likewise the estimated number of children or dependents of those victims, the numbers were quite high," said Rundell. "Since that time, the numbers have decreased, however. Because we did exceed the $100 million and because the numbers are fewer, we will be able to help these dependents to a greater degree."

As of September 2003, 3,400 people, representing the loved ones of 1,202 victims, had registered with the September 11 Scholarship Alliance. Those registered included 2,280 children, 1,051 spouses and 69 other dependents, such as domestic partners. Their loved ones were victims of all the terrorist attacks that occurred that day, but the largest number were victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.

Since December 2001, more than $3 million has been distributed as scholarships for secondary education to 293 dependents. Children received most of the money, with 251 of them receiving about $2.5 million.

Most of the scholarships were awarded to dependents in New York (161 scholarship recipients), followed by New Jersey with 79 recipients and Connecticut with 11. Those states lost the highest number of people in the attacks.

The average scholarship for the fall 2003 term was about $5,750.

"I would like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation for the scholarship...awarded me for the 2003-04 academic year," one student wrote to ScholarshipAmerica in thanking the organization for the aid. "Your award has reiterated my belief in education and in myself, and that truly does mean the world to me. It has also shown that the sky is the limit for any opportunities in life. I am sure that if my father were present, he would be as grateful as I am for your assistance."

Rundell said that to provide additional help, ScholarshipAmerica last fall established the Families of Freedom 2 Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships for postsecondary education for people who worked or lived in lower Manhattan, south of Houston Street, and suffered loss of income or job as a direct result of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

About $6 million has been raised for that fund, with aid granted on a first-come, first-served basis. The first scholarships were awarded this past January. As of September 15, 475 people received more than $1.6 million from the Families of Freedom 2 Scholarship Fund.