HELOISE: Scholarship honors memory of reader's parents

Dear Heloise: I am putting together a scholarship to honor my deceased parents. I’m thrilled, because the process is fairly simple. These are the steps I took:

First, decide which school district you want to benefit from the scholarship. I chose the district where my family spent our summer vacations, some of the happiest times we knew.

Then decide the amount of the scholarship. Amounts of $500 or $1,000 are fairly standard.

Contact the superintendent’s office for specific instructions, but usually the students compete for the scholarships by writing an essay, stating what their goals are for the future.

You can request that the student plan to go into a particular field of study, such as nursing. Most districts have a banquet at the end of the year to award the scholarships.

Check with your tax adviser to see if this may be a tax deduction for you. The memory of my parents will live on, thanks to this gift of education for future generations. Sharon L., San Antonio

A wonderful heart hint that I hope will spark my readers to follow suit. A scholarship in any amount can make a difference in a young (or old!) person’s life. This is a lovely and long-lasting way to honor a loved one. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Getting the chimney cleaned and keeping the damper closed during the winter to keep out the cold are good ideas but could end up in tragedy.

I was told by the gas company service tech that fireplaces are extremely dangerous when you use gas logs and start a fire without opening the damper.

You can die because of carbon-monoxide gas that will build up in the room without your knowledge. Always open the damper first before lighting a fire. Jeanne Eickmeier, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: A friend of mine lost her car/house keys in the park. I went to the pet store and had a dog name tag made with only her first name and cell-phone number so that if the keys were lost again and found, they could be returned. You can get big tags, and they come in many colors and sizes. Christine B., via e-mail

Dear Heloise: How do I remove the wrinkles from a folded vinyl tablecloth that I just removed from the package? A.K. in Pennsylvania

Try this and see if you have any success: Put the vinyl tablecloth in the dryer on low heat for a few minutes with a couple of damp towels. Remove it and immediately smooth out any wrinkles while the tablecloth is still warm. You can repeat this process again if you have some stubborn wrinkles. Heloise

Dear Heloise: A simple hint to keep any remote control cleaner: Get in the habit of always placing the remote facedown. You will be surprised how much less dust and gunk get in the buttons. N.T. in Nebraska

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate