Scholarship Campaign
The goal of the Scholarship Campaign is to raise money for scholarships, which the Education Center will award to GED candidates, through personal, one-to-one donations.
A donation of just $65 will create a brighter future for a youth, by covering the costs to take the GED exam. Last year, Catholic Charities North helped 40-out-of-school youth and young adults ages 16-24 from Lynn and Salem graduate with their High School Equivalency Diploma.
Although $65 may seem like a small amount, it can be a barrier to many students who are working limited hours while in school. Many have families to care for, rent to pay, and hope to enter college. It is an enormous help to have the GED test paid for.
The teachers and case workers find that more students will test in a more timely manner when they are told that someone believes in them and is willing to invest in their future. For students, this may not be a common occurrence. There is power in knowing someone is behind you.
All scholarship funds will be used by Catholic Charities North in FY11 to help Education Center students graduate.
Meet Maria Gomez, a student at Catholic Charities North
Maria Gomez is a working mother of two children. Currently a Certified Nurses Aide, Maria has dreams of becoming an LPN, but first, she needs to pass the GED test and achieve her High School Equivalency Diploma, a hurdle to getting into college. Though the GED test covers five subject areas, math is the one she finds most difficult and she has been studying under teacher Tom Burke at Catholic Charities for a year, faithfully coming to the Education Center in Lynn every Tuesday and Thursday evening. When she found out that a donor to Catholic Charities North would offer $65 to pay for the GED exam, Gomez was relieved and found it much easier to schedule the test. She admits to being nervous and excited about the test, a two day long exam. But after a year of hard work, Burke reassures Gomez, "You're ready for it."
