A broken-down car. A sick childcare provider. A dwindling bank account. For young people supporting themselves through college, these challenges aren't merely bumps in the road. They can be brick walls that keep young people from staying in school.
To help homeless youth overcome these and other common barriers to earning their degrees, Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho awards college scholarships with an unusual level of flexiblity. Unlike traditional scholarships, which often go toward tuition or other school expenses, VOA funds can be spent on whatever young people need so they can focus on academics or just get to class.
“A lot of kids tell us, ‘this [scholarship] is why I was able to stay in school. When things got rough, I got your check in the mail, and I could eat, get my bus pass, buy diapers for my baby’,” says President and CEO Marilee Roloff. These scholarships, she says, “can be their backstop.”
[For more of this story go to http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/news/2...youth-finish-college]
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