FAFSA campaign opens collegiate doors to area students

Completing one form – 108 questions – can mean a high school student is much more likely to head off to college in the fall. And collectively, completing this form could mean a future of economic vibrancy for Memphis.

The Memphis Talent Dividend knows these realities well and will kick off their second local FAFSA Awareness Campaign next weekend, aiming to build awareness of financial aid, bolster a college-going culture and to increase the number of students filling out the free application.
 
“Completing the FAFSA is a key factor in individuals going, or not going, to school. With that FAFSA completed, you’ve opened up the door to more students going to college,” said Alton Cryer, Coordinator for Memphis Talent Dividend. “The FAFSA campaign is here to create awareness and to collaborate and convene community partners to help students know college is affordable.”
 
Last year, the campaign’s inaugural year, they saw huge gains in FAFSA completion – 86 percent of all students in Shelby County filled out the form.
 
Cryer attributes the success to the strong collaboration of the Memphis Talent Dividend community partners, plus the participation of area schools.
 
“School counselors went in and held different FAFSA completion classes. That changed the trajectory for our students,” Cryer said.
 
Memphis Talent Dividend is a collaboration of 130 stakeholders in Memphis and Shelby County and surrounding areas working together to increase the number of college graduates with a high quality degree, credential or certification to meet the current and future workforce needs. Leadership Memphis has been the organizational home of the program since it was established in 2010.
 
Collaborators involved in this campaign include churches and youth focused organizations like Agape, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the YMCA, Reach Memphis and others.
 
The weekend of February 6 is FAFSA Memphis Goal Weekend where the partner churches and organizations across the county will work with students to complete their forms. Cryer says area libraries will have special hours and host FAFSA workshops, and they will have a radio station broadcasting from a library site to get the word out.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a federal form used to determine the amount of money a family is expected to contribute to the price of attending a postsecondary institution. The results of the FAFSA are used to determine student grants, work study and loan amounts.
 
“It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to fill out, with 108 questions. But it can be challenging,” explained Cryer.
 
Parental involvement is a key component, and many of the educational campaign’s efforts are directed at the students’ families. “They don’t think they can afford to send their kids to college; it’s something parents have never seen before,” Cryer said of the form.
 
Marquis McPherson is the Youth and Family Connector at Agape. He says his organization got involved through Leadership Memphis as part of the Collaborative Action Network.
 
They have focused their work on Wooddale High School’s 236 senior students. 

“We met with all the English classes to help them get their FAFSA pin code, which you need before you do anything,” McPherson said.  "We’re working alongside students and parents to help them do their FAFSA at the school.”
 
But parents can’t begin to complete the form if they don’t have their taxes filed for the previous year. For parents who make less than $50,000 annually, Agape is partnering to stage a workshop to help parents get their taxes done – for free. With the Hickory Hill redevelopment Corporation, New Direction Church, the College Initiative and Memphis Talent Dividend/Leadership Memphis, tax services will be open to anyone in the city who qualifies.
 
“The biggest obstacle is getting the parents involved. At Agape, that’s one of our areas of focus,” he said.
 
If an organization is interested in participating in the FAFSA Memphis Goal Weekend, they can contact Alton Cryer, Program Coordinator for the Memphis Talent Dividend at 901.278.0016. Free workshops will be held through June 30 of this year.