| College Now Awarded $6.1 Million in Federal 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants |
College Now Greater Cleveland was awarded nine 21
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Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants, totaling $6.1 million over five years. The 21
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Century CLC grants are awarded to the State of Ohio, which then passes the funding on to organizations that will deliver services in the communities they serve. College Now's 21
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Century funding supports its impact program, which provides after-school ACT/SAT prep, career advising and college visits to students over the course of an eight-week session. The impact program runs three sessions each year and provides spring break and summer college visits.
College Now received three renewals, supporting work in Euclid; the Louis Stokes wing of the Main Branch of Cleveland Public Library; and Wellington Exempted Village Schools. Three of the grants are new dollars that will come directly to College Now for work at City Life, Greater Cleveland Youth for Christ in the Near West-Side neighborhood of Cleveland; Clearview High School in Lorain County; and the MLK, Jr. Branch of the Cleveland Public Library in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland. Finally, three of the grants were written with partners, who will contract with College Now for work in Warrensville; Longfellow Middle School in Lorain County; and the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland.
We have delivered our impact program since 2012, and over the last six years, students participating in the program have seen an average ACT score increase of two points - the equivalent of an 80-point increase on the SAT. This is significant because increasing scores, even by one or two points, can mean access to thousands of dollars more in financial aid.
"In the 2017-2018 school year, we had five impact sites," said Lee Friedman, CEO of College Now. "We are thrilled to offer this critical programming in nine locations across Northeast Ohio for the 2018-2019 school year."
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Annual Malone Golf Classic Raises Dollars for Scholars
On Monday, July 16, 22 foursomes took to the links at Westfield Country Club in support of the Malone Scholarship Program, which was founded in 1993 by College Now Board Member Jimmy Malone and his family to support students across Northeast Ohio as they pursue their postsecondary goals.
Malone Scholars benefit not only from the scholarship funding but also from the one-on-one mentoring they receive from Jimmy, as well as the networking opportunities provided by the annual golf outing. Each year, one of the highlights for golfers and sponsors is the opportunity to meet the Malone Scholars during lunch before the golf scramble begins. It makes participants' involvement more personal, but the networking is also real-world professional development for the Scholars.
The 2018 Malone Scholarship Golf Classic raised approximately $200,000. Thank you to everyone who participated, and special thanks to Jimmy, April and Angela Malone for their continued partnership!
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New Horizon Federal Credit Union Partners with College Now to Remove Financial Barriers for Summit County Adults Pursuing Higher Education
New Horizon Federal Credit Union has partnered with College Now to implement the (Re)Connect to College Education Loan Program, aimed at removing financial barriers to higher education for adults in Summit County. Fifty-two percent of Summit County residents 25 and older have no postsecondary credential (US Census Bureau, American Factfinder, 2016). Often, adults start college immediately out of high school, but not ready for the challenges at age 18, leave school with debt and no degree. Student loan debt is not dischargeable through bankruptcy and frequently gets in the way of adult students' goals.
To help adults resolve student debt and increase their earning potential through higher education, (Re)Connect will seek out adults with some college, but no degree, or adults with a high school diploma looking to pursue a degree or certificate and provide them with low-cost "bridge loans" from New Horizon. Funding for these loans comes from a $776,500 Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) grant that New Horizon received last October. The program is open to qualified adults who live, work or worship in Summit County.
Interested Summit County students must first meet with a College Now Adult Program Specialist to establish the need for a loan and eligibility for future financial aid. College Now will refer those clients to New Horizon's loan offices for an immediate loan consultation. Once the debt has been addressed, College Now advisors will help students re-enroll in a postsecondary program and provide them with a full spectrum of college and career access services.
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MAP Project, Funded by Deaconess Foundation, Highlighted by Graduate! Network
College Now recently received funding from the Deaconess Foundation to create a searchable database of postsecondary training opportunities that lead to jobs that pay a living wage in in-demand fields in Northeast Ohio. The MAP Project aims to increase adult client traffic at College Now; better connect College Now and other adult-serving agencies to the best postsecondary training for them; help postsecondary institutions and training programs promote their offerings; and reduce the talent gap many regional employers face.
For more details, click here.
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Mentoring Program Celebrates at Edgewater Live
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Photo courtesy of Cleveland Metroparks
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Team Mentor had a great time celebrating the end of the summer and the upcoming school year at our Back-to-School Pair Event at Edgewater Live. We enjoyed catching up with all of the mentors and mentees who came out to enjoy the fun in the sun, and we loved listening to the music of Disco Inferno!
Also, as August approaches, Team Mentor says goodbye to our summer intern, Mike Angelo. Mike has been a wonderful part of Team Mentor, and has supported us immensely throughout the summer. We will miss having him as part of Team Mentor, but wish him the best of luck on all of his future endeavors!
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