MONEY IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Just about every community offers scholarship assistance to its young citizens. The grants can vary in size from one hundred dollars to several thousand. Community awards are usually circumscribed in their geographic coverage and there is no central registry for these kinds of opportunities. You must learn about them yourself. Read the local newspaper carefully, especially the page devoted to club and community affairs. Visit the Chamber of Commerce . It might keep track of business and corporate scholarships offered in your area. Also visit the American Legion Post. The legionnaires take a special interest in helping people with their education. And finally, ask your high school counselor! Here are some examples:

Your Community

Look for scholarship bulletins from civic associations, businesses, PTA chapters, social and professional clubs, fraternal organizations, patriotic and veterans organizations. Some communities do very well by their students. In addition to private donors in your community, you should look toward larger local foundations. There are nearly 400 community funds nationwide, with assets totaling more than $6 billion. From this money, these foundations award nearly $100 million to education projects annually!

Your High School

Many high schools have established information clearing houses to work in conjunction with the guidance office. Students (and their parents) may attend workshops on college financing; they receive individual assistance on filing aid applications; they have access to current financial aid literature; and in some instances, they can tap into computerized scholarship data bases. ALL FOR FREE! Some schools have even created foundations to provide "last dollar scholarships" for students with exceptional financial need. Examples: The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (VA), I Know I Can, Columbus (OH), College Bound Foundation, Baltimore (MD) and California Community Foundation, Los Angeles (CA). The Renaissance Education Foundation is another growing example. Funded by local businesses, nearly 3,500 "Renaissance Schools" nationwide offer students rewards for their academic performance. These rewards range from discounts at local stores (for students receiving A's, B's and C's) to $50 dollar savings bonds and college tuition credits (for students with all A's). While not a scholarship program per se, it is a program that's improving test scores, grade point averages, and attendance at schools across the country. For information about setting up this student-incentive program, write the Renaissance Education Foundation, 7801 E. Bus Lake Road, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55439, or call 800-624-5534.

Dollars for Scholars

Dollars for Scholars chapters are community-wide, volunteer-operated scholarship foundations affiliated with the Citizen's Scholarship Foundation of America, Inc. (CSFA) A local board of trustees organizes and publicizes its program in the community, then goes on to raise local funds for distribution to local students. CSFA provides nonprofit status, guides, and materials for chapter operations. All funds raised locally are distributed by a local awards committee. Ask your counselor if your community has a Dollars for Scholars chapter. If not, and you'd like to start one, write: Volunteer Services Coordinator, PO Box 297, St. Peter, MN 56082, or call (507) 931-1682.

Community Service Programs

While the Corporation for National and Community Service will fund about 20,000 AmeriCorps positions this year (see Chapter 10), there are even more opportunities available via your home state or a local agency. These 80+ state and local organizations spend over $131 million annually on conservation and youth-service corps and enable 30,000 additional volunteers to be rewarded for work on projects like education, the environment and public safety. While each community is free to run its own program, there are several common threads. In general, corps members work on projects in teams made up of 5-10 people from diverse backgrounds (this racial, ethnic, and economic diversity is at the heart of most programs--everyone benefits from the experiences of one another). In exchange for service, they receive a living allowance (ranging from $100 to $170 per week) and a bonus upon completion of their service commitment. Bonuses range from $1,000 to $5,000 per year of full-time service to a maximum of $10,000. Some programs don't require you to use the bonus for education expenses; others just give smaller bonuses to the non-college bound. In general, the higher the weekly stipend, the lower the education bonus. Also, in most programs, workers wear an easily identifiable uniform (for example, red t-shirts).

Here are some sample programs:

City Volunteer Corps ( New York City). Founded in 1984, this was one of the country's first community-based service programs. Around 750 volunteers each year log in countless hours helping the elderly, tutoring children and cleaning up parks. In addition, volunteers who have dropped out of high school are required to complete work for their GED.

Los Angeles Youth Corps. In Los Angeles, volunteers are leading efforts to rebuild burned out buildings, plant community gardens in vacant lots, and restore areas affected by rioting.

City Year (Boston). City Year is frequently mentioned as a model for a national plan. The nearly 500 participants (ages 17-24) meet every morning for calisthenics before they fan out to start their work--cleaning parks, organizing summer camps, leading day trips, etc. Workers earn $100 per week with a $5,000 bonus at the end of 9-months (the money need not be used for college). Workers are docked for missed days. Before the year is over, workers must register to vote, obtain a library card, produce a resume, learn to prepare their taxes, and get their GED (if not already a high school graduate).

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