PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
With a focus on empowering today’s youth, Dream on Purpose knew that we needed to answer the call. The Greater Gainesville Chamber’s Alachua County Education Compact (ACEC) galvanized the Greater Gainesville community to counteract the negative impact of COVID-19 on college enrollment by addressing the decrease in completed FAFSAs among 2020 and 2021 high school graduates.
Today, the Greater Gainesville Chamber’s ACEC, in collaboration with Dream on Purpose, Alachua County Public Schools, The Education Foundation of Alachua County, Santa Fe College, University of Florida, and LYFEhouse, will launch Cash for College, a campaign that offers resources designed to make the federal form more accessible and guide students and their families through the necessary steps to complete the FAFSA.
Cash for College is hosted by the Florida College Access Network (FCAN), which leads the collaborative movement that ensures every Floridian achieves an education beyond high school and a rewarding career – and its partners throughout the state. ACEC is the designated local college access network for the Greater Gainesville region.
The local Cash for College campaign consists of six sessions, where students and their parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will receive guided instructions and one-on-one assistance from financial aid professionals. The help sessions are as follows:
- July 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom
- July 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Buchholz High School, 5510 NW 27th Ave.
- July 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Gainesville High School, 1900 NW 13th St.
- July 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Alachua eSchool, 2802 NE 8th Ave.
- July 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St.
- July 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom
These events are free, open to the public, and intentionally designed to accommodate various challenges that families may face, i.e., work schedule conflicts and lack of access to technology or transportation.
“Access to and the attainment of higher education plays a major role in our youth feeling empowered to actualize their dreams, which is why Dream on Purpose is appreciative for its seat at the table,” says President and Cofounder Shareen Baptiste. “We will always welcome the opportunity to be a part of the solution. Serving as part of the committee to help locally launch Cash for College means more students and their families will have access to the financial means needed in order to pursue higher education, which will ultimately result in a stronger workforce for tomorrow. We want our youth to know that they can be anything they want to be and there will always be a community standing behind them and cheering them on.”
To register for one of the help sessions, learn more about the campaign, or access free FAFSA resources, visit https://acedcompact.com/. Families who attend one of the help sessions and complete the FAFSA will be eligible to receive a gift card.
About Dream on Purpose:
Dream on Purpose is a local 501(c)3 nonprofit, dedicated to empowering youth, with a specific focus on girls between the ages of 11-18, to actualize their dreams by connecting them with local resources through interactive workshops and promoting positive socialization through structured forums. Through our signature program, Cupcakes and Conversations, Dream on Purpose gives young girls a structured voice, a collective forum for positive dialogue and an opportunity to engage in a multi-tiered system of resources – just for them. For more information on Dream on Purpose, visit dreamonpurpose.org.
