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Iowa Dollars for Scholars News
Guest Editorial Many Iowans have used college to propel themselves out of poverty and onto a path to upward mobility. Unfortunately, the soaring cost of higher education, cutbacks in federal financial aid and recent decrease in the availability of student loans has narrowed the road to a brighter future. Poorer students are intimidated by the high sticker price of college and students of all income levels are often shocked by the cost of tuition, room and board at private and public institutions of higher education. Financial security is a critical issue for graduates who have realized their dreams of a college education, yet will spend the next 10 to 20 years paying off all the debt they accumulated while in college. With high school graduation just around the corner, many families with college-bound students are turning to their local Dollars for Scholars chapters for help. These academic booster clubs boast effective partnerships with private sector scholarship sources and with colleges, universities and trade schools that enhance and/or match Dollars for Scholars funds. It is this important partnership that differentiates it from other private sector scholarship organizations or foundations. Dollars for Scholars is a national network of community-based scholarship foundations that provide academic support and scholarships to local college-bound students. A program of Scholarship America, it was created nearly 50 years ago under the premise that if each citizen were to contribute just $1, that donation would go a long way toward helping local students fund their college education. That tradition continues today in more than 1,200 communities nationwide where citizens are helping local students achieve their dream of higher education one dollar at a time. In Iowa, 115 Dollars for Scholars chapters are projected to distribute more than $3 million to help 5,000 students. Partnerships with higher education institutions will enhance those scholarships and allow students to maximize their financial aid. Unfortunately, not all Iowa college-bound students have the opportunity to jumpstart their college education with a Dollars for Scholars award. Kudos to the participating communities that have a Dollars for Scholars chapter. It is the existing support and success for the program that will motivate communities without a local chapter to participate and initiate efforts to help their young community members achieve success. For further information about Iowa Dollars for Scholars contact:
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