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Fostering Success Michigan Newsletter Volume 31 February 2015
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FAFSA Deadline Approaching! 
- The Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) deadline is approaching fast! Be sure keep students aware of the deadlines both federal and state. The Michigan FAFSA deadline is midnight of March 1st, 2015. Visit the FAFSA website for further information on deadlines for each state. Please note that the website is a governmental website therefore ending in .gov.
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Fostering Success Michigan's 4th Annual Summit!
Save the Date! FSM's 4th Annual Statewide Summit will be held on May 22, 2015 at the Henry Center at Michigan State University! This year registration will be mandatory and we anticipate registration to open in early March.
The Summit will offer networking and educational opportunities. What is most exciting, however is that the Summit will be designed and facilitated by FSM's Student Advisory Board! This is sure to be a wonderful opportunity for all involved whether they be students, professionals, or supportive adults.
Stay tuned for more information and registration details in upcoming newsletters!
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FSM Partner and Resource Spotlight: Student
 Scholarships and Grants
This month we are focusing on financial aid to ensure our students are set for success. For this reason both our partner spotlight and resource spotlight will be part of Student Scholarships and Grants (SSG).
SSG is a division within the Student Financial Services Bureau (Michigan Department of Treasury). SSG administers twelve aid programs totaling approximately $100 million per year to help Michigan students with postsecondary educational expenses. In addition to program administration, SSG works on college access and financial literacy initiatives.
SSG reaches out to students from foster care through the Fostering Futures Scholarship. This scholarship is distributed to the student's educational institution and can be utilized to meet the needs of tuition, fees, room, board, books, and/or supplies. For further information and access to the Fostering Futures Scholarship visit www.fosteringfutures-mi.com.
SSG recognizes that partnerships with other organizations and departments has better enabled them to serve students. Particularly, SSG's partnership with the Michigan Department of Human Services has helped them to work with both the Fostering Futures Scholarship and the Tuition Incentive Program (TIP) by providing eligibility verification, communication, and support.
The Fostering Futures Scholarship is awarded to students for the purpose of tuition, fees, room/board, books, and supplies/equipment required for enrollment. However, there is no maximum amount. For more information, please view the Fostering Futures Brochure and visit the Fostering Success Michigan website where you will find more details as well as the scholarship application.
Not only does SSG strive to help students directly, but SSG is eager to partner with others in such a way that will serve students. SSG is willing to send informational materials including, the Michigan Postsecondary Handbook, Affording College in Michigan guidebook, TIP poster, TIP flyers (in both English and Spanish), and Programs-at-a-Glance to FSM partners. Additionally, SSG is available to make presentations to FSM partners, schools, and community groups.
For our resource spotlight this month we would like to draw your attention to SSG's Affording College in Michigan Guidebook. This guide is designed for high school and college students who are preparing for or have completed their postsecondary education. The guide is particularly useful in helping students to financially plan for college. For more information visit the FSM website.
For further information on such services and resources, please contact Shannon Price at [email protected]. SSG also hosts monthly webinars and sends out a monthly e-newsletter. Further information on these can be found at the Michigan student aid webpage under the Outreach Services Tab.
For the most up to date information from SSG be sure to like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and of course visit the SSG website. The SSG information center is also available at 1-888-4-GRANTS (1-888-447-2687) or [email protected].
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Free Tax Preparation Toolkit 
With tax season upon us, our students may be new or relatively new to filing their taxes. With this in mind, we would like to share with them a unique resource that can help them in this process. Students may qualify for free tax preparation assistance. Please follow the link to view the Free Tax Preparation Toolkit.
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FosterClub All Star Applications!
Last month, we highlighted FosterClub in our FSM Partner Spotlight and drew attention to the FosterClub All Stars Program. This program provides youth ages 18-24 with the opportunity to impact and support younger youth in care. Each year a group of young people is selected and provided with intensive training on leadership and public speaking. After successful completion of the training, the FosterClub All Stars will venture out across the country helping to support their younger peers through conferences, trainings, and other outreach events. The All Stars will be provided with lodging, transportation, a weekly living allowance, a stipend and more. For a quick reference to this amazing opportunity, please see the FosterClub All Star Flyer.For more details, please visit the FosterClub website. Applications for the 2015 FosterClub All Stars must be submitted by February 20th! |
Scholarship Opportunity: National Foster Parent Association!
With the FAFSA deadlines approaching, we would like to share with you a scholarship opportunity that students should be aware of, the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) Scholarship.
The NFPA Scholarship is a $500 scholarship and is awarded to foster youth, adopted youth, and biological youth of currently licensed foster parents. For further detail, please visit the National Foster Parent Association website.
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Meet from Katina P. from
"Words Matter: Student Voices from the FSM Network"
Katina P. is a sixteen year old, caring, young woman who enjoys spending time with animals and drawing. She also enjoys dancing to Carrie Underwood's Jesus Take the Wheel because it has a nice beat. If Hollywood were to ever make a movie about Katina's life, she hopes that Ashley Tisdale would be cast to play her because she just loves all the movies Tisdale has been in.
Katina is supported by multiple people including her family, friends, teacher, and foster parents. She recognizes that these people care about her and help her to remain motivated in keeping her grades up and successfully complete high school. Katina's long term goals include joining the military and becoming a veterinarian.
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NASPA Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education (SCI-HE) Knowledge Community Sub-Community
ANNOUNCEMENT: For all those attending the Annual NASPA Conference, we look forward to seeing you on
March 23rd at from 2:30-4 at the Hilton Belle Chasse room for our 1st Annual Sub-Community Gathering!!
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Fostering Success Michigan Network Webinar Series
This series is focused on providing students, partners, and supportive adults relevant resources related to the needs of students with experience in foster care.
Center for Fostering Success "Best Practice, Best Fit" Webinar Series
This research-based series focuses on providing helping professionals, students, and supportive adults discovery-driven solutions related to educational attainment for students from foster care.
Upcoming Webinar Reminders
On February 17th, as part of FSM Network webinar series, Elizabeth Bowker, a Michigan Licensed Attorney, from the Student Advocacy Center will present on What Middle School and High School Counselors and Educators "need to know" About Youth with Foster Care Experience. Please be sure to visit the FSM website to register.
The Center for Fostering Success is excited to be hosting Maddy Day, MSW and Elizabeth Brass, MSW on March 17th, 2015 as they presents on Developmental Evaluation of Fostering Success Michigan: Looking Back to Look Forward. Please be sure to visit the FSM website to register.
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Upcoming Conference: Third Annual Residential Treatment Conference 
On February 23rd, 2015, The Michigan Federation for Children and Families is hosting the Third Annual Residential Treatment Conference. The focus will be on education for appropriately assessing the needs of youth in residential settings, understanding their trauma histories, and providing effective tools and strategies for treatment and healing of these young people.
For complete details on the conference, please visit Fostering Success Michigan's event page and see the brochure. There you will find information on pricing, location, and Social Work CECHs.
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Helping Our Students Succeed
Over and over again, I have heard our partners excitedly share stories of how students have been supported by having several network partners come together to problem solve. When we collaborate and network, students receive the clear message of "yes you can", and this message is especially important this month as students prepare to complete the FAFSA.
There is a strong correlation between completing the FAFSA and a student enrolling in college since the FAFSA determines a student's eligibility for Federal student aid. Please help us get the word out! The March 1st deadline is just around the corner, and there are plenty of events left this month where students can receive assistance in completing the FAFSA forms. As a new addition this year, the FAFSA form links directly to ETV! Check out this fantastic website that lists dates and locations: http://www.micollegegoal.org/Schools/Locations.aspx In addition, we are highlighting several financial-related resources that will aid you in assisting your students! For instance, the free tax preparation services available through Michigan 211 can prove helpful as this information is important when filling out the FAFSA. Student Scholarships and Grants provides links to scholarship opportunities as well as providing a guidebook on how to afford college. Finally, the FosterClub All Stars Program gives students an opportunity to earn an allowance while learning important leadership and public speaking skills. Just knowing about these fantastic resources makes you a valuable well of information for students and professionals alike! Regardless of whether or not you work directly with students, our hope is that you can use this knowledge in your networks - talk to your colleagues, your neighbors, your friends. Who knows when you will come upon someone who can benefit from one of these programs? Who knows when you will be able to feel the excitement of engaging in partnership, in networking to support students with experience in foster care? I hope it is this week!
In that spirit, I am thrilled to announce that next month we will be releasing our newest FSM guide, Getting to Know...Child Welfare for Educators. We are reaching out to middle and high school educators and staff in the hopes that they can join us in talking to students about all the resources available on the path to higher education and beyond. We'll keep you posted! Take care,
Director of Outreach and Training
Center for Fostering Success
Western Michigan University
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