Downtown YMCA offers free FAFSA workshops as part of Financial Aid Awareness Month

FAFSA form On Jan. 21, the Community Youth Services division of the Greater Cleveland YMCA will be hosting its monthly Financial Aid Literacy and Completion Workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Downtown YMCA branch.

The workshop is offered monthly in partnership with Cleveland State University as part of a push to give financial aid access to all Cleveland students.

CSU Admissions Counselor Tanese Horton leads the presentations, which are open to the public.

On Jan. 12, the Downtown branch joined community stalwarts in kicking off Financial Aid Awareness Month with a forum dedicated to discussing the most important college-going resource available – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Downtown YMCA Director Malik Moore, City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon, and College Now CEO Lee Friedman, were joined by officials from the Higher Education Compact (the Compact), and financial aid experts from the U.S. Department of Education and Baldwin-Wallace College.

The FAFSA is the critical first step in the college financial aid process. It is the basis for ANY type of financial aid – be it need-based aid from the government or merit-based aid from colleges and universities or other private funding sources.

Financial aid, based on the FAFSA, is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so completing the FAFSA as early as possible – ideally by the priority deadline of February 15 – gives students a better chance at receiving more dollars to put toward their education.

Cleveland is one of six cities nationally to participate in the Education Department's FAFSA Completion Project. As a selected city, the Department will provide the school district and community organizations with specialized training to better assist families in completing the FAFSA. The CMSD has set a 60% FAFSA Completion goal for Cleveland students this year.

“There IS money available to help students pay for college," said Moore. "The FAFSA is the key to accessing those financial resources. The Downtown YMCA is pleased to support the Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland in its work to increase awareness about the FAFSA and the financial aid process.”

The Compact is a coalition formed this year by Mayor Jackson to improve college graduation rates for Cleveland students. The YMCA and Cleveland Foundation donated a combined $22,000 to support the FAFSA push.

Events are planned through Feb. 15 to help students fill out and access the FAFSA. Visit the Compact's web site to view all planned financial aid events:

http://www.highereducationcompact.org/

For more information about the Y's monthly financial aid workshops, contact Malik Moore at (216) 263-6294 or mmoore@clevelandymca.org.