Since 2003, the Benjamin Rush Program has been working to motivate and equip high school students to use their voice in democratic process. We do this by encouraging you (the student) to get out there and use your civic voice! The program also seeks to strengthen the principles of government upon which the United States was founded. Most importantly, though, the Benjamin Rush Awards Program is about preserving liberty for the next generation.
How does the Awards Program Work?
The Benjamin Rush Awards program runs from January through November each year. During this time, students participating in the Benjamin Rush Awards Program fulfill civic-related requirements and electives to complete one of five different levels. The five levels of achievement that students can strive for are Citizen, Activist, Patriot, Signer or Statesman. Requirement difficulty is based upon what level students are trying to achieve. Participants are awarded points based on the amount of work they accomplish. For more information on the program and how to get started, please visit our General Guidelines page.
The Ben Rush program offers many exciting prizes and scholarships to winning participants! Prizes include scholarships to schools of a student's choice; iPod Touches, iPod Nanos, and iPod Shuffles; gifts cards and Gen J gear! To see specific prizes for each level visit our General Guidelines.
Why is the award named after Benjamin Rush?
Great question. He was a "Jack of all trades" among our founding fathers. At the time of his death in 1813, Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of America’s three most notable men; along with George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. He signed the Declaration of Independence, served under three presidents, assisted in founding five universities and colleges, and personally trained over 3,000 medical students. Rush also established American Sunday schools and the first Bible society in America. For more in-depth bio on Benjamin Rush please click here (Courtesy of ColonialHall.com).
Questions?
If you have any questions relating to the Awards and Scholarship Program, please e-mail the Awards Administrator at Benrush@hslda.org or call 540-338-8608.