Last May, high-schooler Breann suffered something few can imagine. She lost both her parents. Her mother died the day after being seen by doctors for severe leg pain that they were unable to diagnose. Her father died several days later from a heart attack.

Her father had no life insurance, and left no other financial resources. Breann says that while her mother did have some life insurance, her stepdad, “ended up taking all the money. … With no one to support me financially, and starting my senior year, I know college is going to be hard to pay for.”

Thea was a high-school student when her “Papa” had a debilitating stroke right in front of her. He was in a coma for two years after that. During that time, she graduated from high school, but she delayed her college plans in order to work two jobs. “The money I earned helped my mom and I survive,” she says.

When he died this past January, he left the family with no life insurance. Thea says that him having life insurance “would have made a life-changing difference.” She is determined to get a college education, though, as her father taught her the importance of education. “He wanted me to have the life he never had,” she says.

Both of these students are recipients of $7,500 scholarships from the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, which helps college-bound students who are experiencing financial difficulties due to a parent dying and leaving little or no life insurance. You can help them along by voting for who should receive the $15,000 Video Scholarship.

Click here and watch their moving videos. Then don’t forget to vote and share the link!

Also, you can make individual tax-deductible contributions to the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program that will fund scholarships for students like Breann and Thea, making the dream of a college education a reality. To make your online donation, click here.