POINT PLEASANT — As the school year begins to wind down, many local seniors likely will be applying for scholarships to help cover the cost of their upcoming college education.

Fortunately for those students who are seeking scholarships, free webinars have been planned that will help point them in the right direction.

According to a news release, Our Community’s Foundation - The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) and the Regional Affiliate Foundations of Jackson and Mason counties will offer two free webinars regarding the availability of scholarships for local students.

The webinars will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3 and 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9. Students, parents and other interested individuals can participate in the webinar from any location where they have a computer with Internet access and a telephone.

To register, participants are asked to send an e-mail to info@pacfwv.com, and the foundation will send instructions on how to access the webinar.

According to PACF officials, the webinar will allow the foundation to provide an overview of its scholarship program and show participants how to access the application form. The foundation offers scholarships for students from throughout its 11-county service area, which includes Wood, Calhoun, Gilmer, Doddridge, Roane, Wirt, Ritchie, Jackson, Mason and Pleasant counties in West Virginia and Washington County in Ohio.

Students can access information about scholarships by visiting the foundation’s Web site at www.pacfwv.com. The foundation uses one consolidated application for most scholarships; this application can be completed and submitted online. To access the application, click “Find Scholarships” on the foundation’s home page.

According to its Web site, the community foundation manages more than 150 scholarship funds that honor family or friends, celebrate retirements, memorialize loved ones or ensure that donor values are passed from one generation to the next. Each fund has different eligibility requirements. Many awards are restricted to students graduating from certain high schools, while others are designed for students pursuing particular fields of study or attending specific institutions. Most existing scholarships are limited to students who are graduating high school seniors; only a few are available for students whose undergraduate degree program already is under way or who are “non-traditional” students or in graduate-level education.

The application deadline for the consolidated application form is March 20. For more information, visit www.pacfwv.com.