APA members have an opportunity to share the spirit of the holiday season as they pay their membership dues for the coming year. Last spring APA’s Board of Trustees voted to include the Elsa Barton Educational Scholarship on the APA 2000-01 dues statement to make it easy for those wishing to donate to this worthy cause.

APA members will also have an opportunity to sponsor or renew an APA Alliance membership by including Alliance dues with their APA membership dues payment, and dues are only $35. The APA Alliance welcomes new members interested in working on the advocacy and educational activities it undertakes on behalf of APA and the field of psychiatry.

The APA Alliance, which sponsors the Elsa Barton Educational Scholarship, is looking forward to an energetic response from APA members, who will be able to take a tax deduction for this charitable donation, according to Cathy Tasman, chair of the scholarship.

The scholarship was founded in 1984 to assist the spouse, life partner, or child of an impaired, disabled, or deceased physician. The scholarship provides financial assistance to allow immediate family members to begin or continue their postsecondary educational goals. Oftentimes, a spouse of a deceased or disabled physician may need to update his or her professional experience to reenter the workplace or develop skills to pursue a new higher-paying position to pay unexpected expenses associated with the loss of the physician’s salary. The scholarship can also be used by a young adult family member to enroll in or continue at an accredited postsecondary educational institution.