Financial Assistance Available to Attend SUUSI
There are two major ways that an individual or family may receive assistance with financial difficulties that will allow them to attend SUUSI. SUUSI does not have any employees.
SUUSI staff members work throughout the year and at SUUSI to make all of the workshops, nature outings, and special activities possible. The members of the SUUSI staff are not paid for their efforts, but are provided with staff credit toward their own SUUSI costs. Staff credit provides opportunities for participants to come to SUUSI and make a difference.
SUUSI also provides a limited number of scholarships for individuals and families. These SUUSIships are designed to make it possible to bridge the gap in resources to allow people to experience the magic of SUUSI.
Staff Positions
SUUSI is always looking for new people to join our SUUSI staff family. If you would like to apply for a staff position, please go to SOLIS (SUUSI Online Information System) to complete an application. You'll need to create a SOLIS account if you don't already have one in order to apply for a staff position. All staff positions are fully volunteer, but you can get some or all of your SUUSI registration costs covered in return for your efforts. Many of our staff members would find it difficult to attend SUUSI without this assistance.
If you would like more information about joining the SUUSI staff, or if you are just interested in volunteering, please complete the staff form. If working on staff isn't your thing, there are many other ways to be involved. Please tell us about you and your interest and we can help you explore the opportunities to be involved in making our week at SUUSI very special for everyone.
Lead a Workshop
Leading a workshop is a great way to meet new people and contribute to the SUUSI community. To submit your idea for a workshop just go to the SUUSI home page and click on the link at the top right of the page. You'll first need to register as a user in SOLIS - SUUSI Online Information System.
This registration is a quick and easy process of providing your e-mail address, selecting a password and clicking on a link that we e-mail to you automatically. Once you're registered, you can fill out the Workshop Proposal Form in order to submit a proposal for SUUSI.
Every year, we welcome new workshops and workshop leaders, and we're especially looking for workshops with class participation (rather than lecture-style).
For additional information about leading a SUUSI workshop, please visit our Workshops.
SUUSIship Scholarships
SUUSI offers scholarships to individuals and families wishing who would otherwise be unable to attend without financial assistance. Funds that are offered through SUUSIships come mostly from donations by members of the SUUSI community and thus are limited to what’s been given. SUUSIship awards are based upon financial need and aim to help individuals and families bridge a financial gap so that they can participate in SUUSI activities.
To be considered in the first round of SUUSIship awards, applications must be received by the deadline. All requests and applications are kept strictly confidential.
If you wish to apply for a SUUSIship, the application is now (for the first time in 2011) online. Once you submit the online form, you can’t go back and change it, so the only way to make changes is to start again at the beginning (or if the changes are small, you can just send them in an email to suusiships@suusi.org. In addition to basic information like your name, address, and UU congregation, you will need the following information:
- any years (as an adult) you have previously received a SUUSIship
- names and ages of all people to be covered by your SUUSIship
- years of previous SUUSI and other UU related conferences you’ve attended
- the name, position and email address of someone in leadership at a UU congregation or organization (including SUUSI) that has agreed to serve as a Supportive Reference for your application. You can also provide and address and phone number to help us reach them if email doesn’t work
- an electronic or paper copy of the first page of your 1040 Federal Tax form (with the Social Security Number blanked out if you wish); you’ll need to enter your 2011 adjusted gross income in the application and can submit the form using the online application as well
- the amount you can provide to attend SUUSI
To access the online application, click here.
We would really prefer that you submit the application online, but if you really can’t/don’t want to do the online application, you can e-mail suusiships@suusi.org to request a MS Word or pdf version. If you print and complete the application by hand, please scan and e-mail it to suusiships@suusi.org or snail-mail it to the address below. Also, if you do not wish to submit the first page of your 2011 Federal tax return to via the online application site, you can e-mail or snail-mail it as above.
SUUSIShips c/o
Susan Hill
13212 125th Avenue NE
Kirkland, WA 98034
If you have any questions concerning the SUUSIship application, you may e-mail Susan at suusiships@suusi.org. If you wish to be considered in the first round of applications, it is important that your information reach Susan by April 18, 2012 or be postmarked by that date. This will allow the SUUSIship committee to inform you of your award in time to get the lowest possible rate for attending SUUSI. If you submit an application after that but before July 10, 2012, it can still be considered for funding if there are still fund available.
If you receive a SUUSIship you will receive a listing of volunteer opportunities at SUUSI. Those who receive SUUSIship awards are asked to provide a maximum of 10 hours of volunteer work time in exchange for your award. The number of hours that you will be asked to work will be dependent upon the size of your award and your age. Paperwork concerning your acceptance of your SUUSIship and your commitment to volunteer will be sent to you as soon as you have been notified of your award.