by Martha Picarello
Like everyone else, the Council had no way of predicting the past year's turbulent economy; when we created the Student Scholarship and Advancement fund last summer, we were merely responding to a consistent increase in scholarship requests from our students in need. The Student Scholarship and Advancement Fund was established thanks to the generous initial $40,000 contribution from the Beverly Newport Memorial Fund. Subsequently, 29 donors provided an additional $5,205 in contributions, including $2,500 from Safeway, Inc.
As a result, the Council was able to provide $26,675 in student scholarship fees and $1,464 in scholarship books in this fiscal year. Seventy-eight ESOL and Family Learning graduates received discount tuition certificates to enroll in Fairfax County Adult Education classes, and adult learners received a total of $6,235 in Safeway Gift cards as a reward for perfect classroom attendance. The timing of the fund's founding has since proven prodigious indeed! Over the past year, we've kept one eye on the Dow's fluctuations and the other eye on our students' increasing scholarship requests and incentive awards. The Fund has ensured that our students can pursue their learning goals regardless of income level or ability to pay; this scholarship availability results in a greater number of highly motivated students not only progressing through our programs but moving on to more advanced English, GED, citizenship or workplace training. Watch for more news about the Fund in the year ahead, and thank you for supporting our students!
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