The Allen and Ellen M. Blessman Scholarships was established in honor of Mr. Blessman, a longtime farmer in Mason County, in support of agricultural education and as a priority in his charitable wishes. Applicants must be an Illinois Farm Bureau member/dependent of a member. They must be an Agricultural Education major with intent to pursue teaching licensure. All applicants must be a high school graduate or be graduating from high school and must be accepted for enrollment or currently be enrolled at an accredited college, university, or community college. Applicants may be previous recipients of an IAA Foundation scholarship, though certain scholarships restrict the number of times an applicant can receive an award. While applicants may be considered for multiple awards, they can only receive one scholarship per program year. In addition to individual scholarship eligibility guidelines, selection of recipients is based on: activities and involvement, financial plan, essay response, personal statements and in some cases, academic performance. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the Illinois Agricultural Association Foundation for more information.