DRDFS Provides More Than $3,600 in Emergency Aid to Program Alumni Affected by CODID-19
This past March, college campuses across the nation began to close down in order to protect the health of their students. In doing this, college students were faced with evacuating their dorms, leaving their on-campus jobs, and losing access to campus dining.
In response, Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars acted fast to establish an Alumni Emergency Fund to assist DRDFS alumni who are currently enrolled in post-secondary education with food support, housing support, transportation home, and online learning support. An application was sent to alumni the same day the fund was established, and numerous requests for assistance were received.
DRDFS staff members were able to respond in real time to these requests for assistance. The first student to submit a request received a response and solution in less than 15 minutes. Fatou, a student at Howard University responded to the survey with worries that she couldn’t find transportation home, and needed a storage unit for some of her belongings she had to leave behind. Numerous other students responded that they could no longer use computer labs, and had no other computer access to complete online coursework.
Souad, who is currently attending Henry Ford College said, “Thanks to the emergency support I am now able to get back to my classes without falling behind and continue online. The laptop from DRDFS has helped me continue my semester without worrying and I’m so grateful.” Souad is just one of about 30 students who received support.
Thanks to the Jamie and Denise Jacob Family Foundation and generous personal gifts from members of our Board of Directors, DRDFS has been able to provide students with laptops, a Wi-Fi hot-spot, gift cards to get groceries, and more. In all, 29 requests have been approved and fulfilled, totaling more than $3,600 in aid.
Many students replied with thank you messages, like this student who said, “Thank you so much!! I didn’t know how I was going to get my work done. I’ve been overwhelmed trying to figure out what to do over the past few days and was so relieved when I got the email from DRDFS.”
We are thankful to be able to offer additional support to our alumni in emergency situations like this. The Alumni Emergency Fund is just another way that DRDFS is helping students succeed in higher education.
“I grew up without a clue of what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go in life, until I had the opportunity to join Dollars for Scholars my sophomore year of high school. From visiting campuses, to SAT prep, the guidance I received from the program changed my entire outlook.
“From college tours to financial aid, Dollars for Scholars has greatly impacted my path to higher education. As a first generation college student, deciding where I would want to continue my education and figuring out how I would get there was a difficult process. My family and I lacked the time and transportation necessary to visit schools, and this limited me in figuring out my future.
“When joining Dollars for Scholars, I was eager to visit colleges and earn scholarship money. Being able to look at all the different schools with other students I could relate to was so reassuring. Dollars for Scholars was able to answer my questions about the ins & outs of post-secondary education, as well assist me with applications. This extra help was so motivating.
“Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is a life-changing program. Before high school, I was going down a path that if most kids took, they’d end up either dropping out of school or going to jail. Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars helped inspire me to get on a better path by showing me how to prepare for college. Hearing other students’ stories made me feel like I could be successful both in high school and post-secondary education.