Vol. 9, No. 1• November 2004
Partnership Gives Scholarships to North Carolina Foster Teens
by Joan McAllister
In 2003-2004, North Carolina formed a partnership with the Orphan Foundation of America to help foster youth transition successfully to adulthood.
The Orphan Foundation of America was established in 1981 by the late Joseph Rivers, who grew up in foster care near Syracuse, NY. Rivers’ vision was to help foster youth and orphans to transition successfully to adulthood, placing particular emphasis on college and vocational training.
Since 1981 OFA has been a leading voice for older foster teens. It has served thousands of youth with scholarships, and tens of thousands with care packages and mentoring. For ten years OFA has been bringing exceptional students to Washington DC every summer to put a face to foster care and the needs of foster youth in college and training programs. These young people’s stories helped to raise public awareness and captured the attention of our nation’s lawmakers, playing a significant part in the passage of the Chafee Education and Training Vouchers Program, also known as ETV.
For fiscal year 2003-04, approximately $42 million were distributed to the states through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funds are intended to help young people who aged out of foster care or were adopted from foster care after their 16th birthday to attend post-secondary educational or vocational training. Students who meet these qualifications are eligible for up to $5,000 of the total cost of attendance as estimated by their college or technical school. These funds may be used for tuition and fees, school supplies, a computer, and approved living expenses including rent, transportation, health insurance, and child care.
With 20 years of scholarship expertise serving this population and their fundamental understanding of students’ financial and emotional needs, OFA offered to contract with interested states to administer their ETV programs. Currently, OFA administers ETV programs in North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, and Ohio. OFA has a website, www.statevoucher.org, to support the program and to offer information to young people from all 50 states. The application and all record keeping are online and available to state staff for oversight purposes.
OFA looks at every ETV applicant individually, assessing his or her tuition need and cost of daily living, and each student gets the ETV disbursement that best suits these needs. Further, each student receives three gift boxes a year through the Care Package Program and is offered group and individual online mentoring. OFA charges less than 10% of the federal grant for its services.
North Carolina, like the other five contracting states, is pleased to report that all funds were appropriately disbursed by the end of the federal fiscal year, benefiting over 200 individual students. The contract has been renewed, and we expect the partnership to continue to benefit young adults from the foster care system.
To learn more or to apply for a scholarship, visit <http://www.statevoucher.org>.
Joan S. McAllister is the NC LINKS Program Coordinator for the NC Division of Social Services in Raleigh.
Copyright � 2004 Jordan Institute for Families
