4 Reasons 2 Give

State spending for public colleges and universities has dropped sharply. At the same time, tuition and required fee charges in Texas. The result is the worst fiscal news for public higher education institutions and their students in at least a decade. This year, the picture looks even bleaker, with Texas continuing to cut higher education appropriations and campuses responding by raising tuition even higher, imposing new fees and reducing student financial assistance. The cost of attendance at four-year public institutions rose by just under 5% in Texas from 2008 to 2009 which exceeds the inflation rate for the same period of time.¹

The Brazos Education Foundation is committed to helping to bridge the gap of funding for higher education by providing scholarships to high school seniors. However, we need your financial support to help us increases the number of scholarships we fund and increase the amount of funding we can provide.

Education is a driving force for ending extreme poverty and is a key denominator for economic growth. The more educated a person is, the healthier they are and the longer they live, which in turn has positive implications for minimizing healthcare costs. Additionally, lower unemployment rates have historically been associated with people who have obtained higher levels of education. Therefore society, as a whole, benefits enormously from having educated citizens. In 2002, 52% of low income families (family income less than $25,000 per year) enrolled in college compared to 83% of high income families (family income more than $75,000 per year ).¹ Yet, McLennan County is home to some of the Department of Education's most economically disadvantaged students in the state of Texas and the least educated adults. If education is the key to economic growth and social stability, a catalyst must be provided to McLennan County students in the form of financial assistance and encouragement to get through college. Our scholarship and outreach initiatives target Title 1 High Schools where at least 40% of the students attending are at, or below, poverty level.² Students attending Title 1 schools have significant disadvantages in achieving academic success and pursuing a college education. Because we are committed to helping students have access to opportunities and to be successful, we have narrowed our target group of students to students attending Title I high schools. At the present, we are committed to providing scholarships to ten high schools in McLennan County: A.J. Moore Academy, Connally High School, La Vega High School, Mart High School, McGregor High School, Meyer High School, Moody High School, University High School, Waco High School, and West High School.

We need your support to continue to provide scholarships to these students and encourage you to read more about our scholars.

In addition to the scholarship opportunities offered, the Brazos Education Foundation helps students succeed through outreach initiatives that include online resources through our website, including:

1. Providing "how to" information by experts to help students search for and obtain scholarships, complete financial aid forms, and various other questions regarding the college application process. Our current scholarship recipients are consistently utilizing our experts' assistance and knowledge to guide them through the often complex financial aid application process.
2. Providing access to career interest and online assessment tools. Note these online assessments are free and provide the student with a broad overview of his/her aptitudes. Our source for this tool is the ASVAB Career Exploration program.
3. Providing students and their parents with a College Preparation Calendar and "monthly reminders" via Facebook and Twitter.

The Brazos Education Foundation continues to provide scholarship opportunities for the future including scholarships in the second, third and fourth year of college. Many other scholarships limit funding to the first year of attending college. We feel it is essential to continue funding scholarships throughout college.

We need your help to continue funding scholarships and increasing the number of students we serve.