Asia Crawford, the recipient of a Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program scholarship and a 2010 graduate of Charlottesville High School, has earned a place on Ferrum College’s Dean’s List for the 2011 spring semester. This recognition is bestowed on those with a 3.4 GPA or higher. Ms. Crawford is majoring in accounting.

She is the daughter of Katherine J. Crawford.

When Ms. Crawford was applying for a CCSP scholarship, she noted she hoped to become an accountant for a production company and later own a club for teens. She likes to make people laugh. Her Charlottesville High School teachers praised her as a disciplined student possessing keen insights and the ability to think critically.

The Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program awards postsecondary scholarships to low- and moderate-income Charlottesville residents who are graduates of the city’s public schools, and to city employees. Two features help distinguish CCSP scholarships: they are renewable throughout a student’s undergraduate academic career and they are available to adults for workforce training. The adult-only application deadline is Oct. 1 each year.

Please join CCSP at the “Charlottesville’s Promise 2011″ Gala at the Paramount Theater on Oct. 29 to celebrate CCSP’s 10 years of supporting up-and-coming students like Asia Crawford. For more information on the gala, click here.

CCSP can help with college costs

Want to go back to college but wondering how you’ll afford it? The Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program could help you with your spring semester class costs, but you’ll need to get your scholarship applicationin by Oct. 1.

If you’re a Charlottesville resident and a graduate of Charlottesville City Schools — or a City of Charlottesville employee — and are 25 years old or more, you could have a second chance at earning college credit, part time or full time. The CCSP website has the details and application forms, and you can learn more about the adults who earned scholarships in our last adult enrollment period. Charlottesville High School seniors and adults may apply by March 1 each year for the next fall semester.

Charlottesville City Council created an endowment in 2001 for the Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program to help low- and moderate-income graduates of our city schools and city employees reach their higher-education goals. City Council recognized 10 years ago that a high school diploma might not be enough for many of our citizens to live in economic security. That, sadly, is more true now than ever. CCSP scholarships also can be renewed, continuing to help adults in the workforce return to school.

On Oct. 29, the CCSP will hold its first “Charlottesville’s Promise” gala to celebrate 10 years of fulfilling the city’s college-assistance promise to Charlottesville citizens. This is our major fundraiser, so come out to the Paramount in support and celebration that night for fun, fabulous food, local wines, inspiration from U.Va. baseball head coach Brian O’Connor, and dancing to a DJ.

In addition to the CCSP website, we share lots of helpful college-planning resources on our Facebook and Twitter accounts (CvilleCSP on Twitter). Check us out!
Follow @CvilleCSP

This information bolsters the need for the Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program to raise funds to help deserving low- and moderate-income city public school graduates and employees attain their higher education goals. How can you help? Like many of our neighbors, you can provide a sponsorship for the “Charlottesville’s Promise 2011″ Gala, to be held at the Paramount Theater on Oct. 29. For more information, see “Gala” at www.cvillescholarship.com or e-mail Lainie Rainwater at scholars@cvillescholarship.com

• Funds are invested with the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation as a donor-advised fund. Through interest earnings and fund raising, the scholarship fund is currently valued at almost $600,000.

• The CCSP fund operates as an endowment fund with an annual scholarship pool at 5% of the three-year fund average, or approximately $25,000 to $30,000 per year. Administrative and fund-raising expenses are limited to 1% of fund balance, or $5,000 to $6,000 per year.

• In FY11, 11 returning scholars received $17,500, or an average of $1,600 each. Seven new applicants received a total of $6,500, six $1,000 scholarships and one $500 scholarship. We were not able to fund all the applicants this year. Average grade point average for the new recipients: 3.4.

• Because of reduced scholarship opportunities from other sources after the first year, returning scholars receive an increase of $500 in their scholarship each year, ending up with $2500 in their final year.

• If all returning scholars are successful and request funds next year, funds will be insufficient to take on new CHS students or workforce applicants.

• Fund raising has averaged $25,000 per year from donors, businesses, and private foundation grants.

• In 2011, the 10th anniversary year, the CCSP’s fund-raising goal is $100,000, $70,000 of which is anticipated to come from the “Charlottesville’s Promise 2011″ Gala, to be held at the Paramount Theater October 29.

The Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program will be following this reporter and many other sources of information to bring to the Charlottesville community news and guidance that can help all our citizens realize their dreams of higher education. You can also follow us on Twitter at CvilleCSP, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, and you can pick up our Twitter feeds right from our home page, www.cvillescholarship.com.

Here’s a sample:
“If we take no action in changing the number of students with college degrees, income disparity between college-educated workers and those with high-school diplomas will rise significantly. However, if we can help more of today’s students become tomorrow’s educated workforce, the Georgetown University report claims we’ll boost America’s GDP by $500 billion, add more than $100 billion in tax revenues and begin to reverse the growth of income inequity.”

Adults at least 25 years of age and who are city public school graduates and city residents, or city employees, and who meet income eligibility requirements may apply by October 1 for the following spring semester. Applications must be postmarked by Oct. 1. There is also a March 1 application cycle.

Candidates may download application materials here.

Preprinted scholarship packets may also be requested via e-mail, Facebook, or by writing to CCSP at P.O. Box 1221, Charlottesville, VA 22902.

Applicants must complete both a scholarship application and a financial aid application that demonstrates financial need. In addition, applicants must provide an award letter from an educational institution detailing the amount of financial aid that the applicant is eligible to receive from that school.

Applicants will be evaluated based on their past academic performance, employment history, life experiences, and special circumstances noted either by the applicant or by the applicant’s references.

Special consideration will be given to applicants who are teacher aides in Charlottesville schools who wish to study to become teachers.

Please help spread the word! Share this on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (CvilleCSP) for good resources on higher education, send us your address to receive newsletters, and watch our website: www.cvillescholarship.com. You can also connect with the Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program as a company on LinkedIn. We’re celebrating 10 years of helping our neighbors, fulfilling “Charlottesville’s Promise.”

Money for college

The board made this decision in part because of city residents’ need for immediate workforce development and higher education funds due to the recent economic downturn. The CCSP is working hard to ensure a robust fund to meet the needs of adults 25 and over in the next scholarship cycle. Applications for adults are due October 1 for the spring semester. By splitting contributions, the board will continue to honor the intentions of the City Council to build an endowment for the future well-being of city residents, while also addressing pressing needs in our community.

Charlottesville City Council established the Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program 10 years ago with an allocation from a budget surplus. In the ensuing 10 years, the CCSP board has more than doubled the funds put in its care by the city and has awarded scholarships to 53 city residents or employees. On Oct. 29, the CCSP will host the “Charlottesville’s Promise 2011″ Gala at the Paramount Theater to celebrate 10 years of helping our neighbors and to raise more funds to have an even bigger impact in our community. If you’d like to be a part of this celebration of fulfilling “Charlottesville’s Promise,” contact Lainie Rainwater at scholars@cvillescholarship.com.

Andrea Copeland, emcee for "Charlottesville's Promise 2011" Gala Oct. 29

The funds raised by the gala will enable the CCSP to award more scholarships to the deserving low- and moderate-income graduates of Charlottesville’s public schools and the employees of the city and the Charlottesville City Schools.

But this event is more than just about raising money. It is about celebrating the promise made to city residents and employees 10 years ago, when the City Council decided to fund this scholarship program with a surplus to provide a better future for its citizens. It is about celebrating the 53 neighbors and family members who have had help from this fund as they’ve worked to fulfill their dreams of higher education.

Come help us celebrate a promise kept … and a promise for the future.

The program is open to candidates young and old. Scholarships follow students through their undergraduate education, and amounts can be adjusted each year–an important fact given that many colleges front-load first-year financial aid to students.

Background

The Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program was established through a one-time grant from the Charlottesville City Council in 2001. The program’s board of directors raises additional funds to support the program, whose fund has a current value of more than $590,000 as of June 2011.

Today, the program operates as a partnership uniting:

• the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce
• the University of Virginia
• Piedmont Virginia Community College
• the Charlottesville City Schools
• the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation
• the Charlottesville PTO Council

Save the Date

The CCSP will be hosting a gala at the Paramount Theater on Oct. 29 to celebrate ten years of fulfilling the promise of higher education assistance made to Charlottesville’s residents and employees by City Council’s one-time grant to fund this exceptional scholarship program. For more information on the “Charlottesville’s Promise 2011″ gala and how you and your business can be a part of this exciting initiative, please contact Lainie Rainwater at scholars@cvillescholarship.com.