Senator Joe Manchin III (D-WV) will meet with area leaders to discuss the current federal budget debate in Washington and the effects of the fiscal cliff at the John XXIII Pastoral Center on Hodges Road in Charleston beginning at 9:30 AM on Monday, December 3, 2012. Testimonials will be given by those who would be affected by the loss of federal programs and benefits including CHIP, Medicaid, Pell Grants, and the child tax credit.
Current college students who participate in the College Summit program will be among those speaking out about the risks of the decrease in federal programs, specifically the Pell Grant, which “provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post-baccalaureate students to promote access to postsecondary education.”
Nick Alexander, a Valley High School and College Summit alumnus and a freshman at Marshall University, stated in a written testimonial, “Without a college degree, it is vaguely a dream to achieve any great feat. So, that’s what the Pell Grant means to me. It is bringing life to my dreams. I am studying Computer Science and aspire to receive a doctorate and create the next piece of revolutionary software that will change the world, and without the Pell Grant, I would not stand a chance. Without the Pell Grant, I may not be able to complete my degree due to lack of funding.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2009-2010 Federal Pell Grant End-of-Year Report, 45,095 West Virginians received Pell Grants totaling $175,801,065 to pursue postsecondary education during the 2009-2010 academic year. Nearly 31,000 of those students were attending public colleges and universities.
Educating our youth is important for our students, families, communities, and our economy. More than half of the 30 fastest growing occupations require postsecondary education, and college graduates earn twice of what those with only a high school diploma earn.
College Summit is a national nonprofit organization that helps high schools raise their college-enrollment rates by providing all students with a course in postsecondary planning, training teachers and counselors to build college-ready culture, equipping the most influential students in the school to help their peers apply to college, and helping school leaders utilize data to manage the school-wide postsecondary planning and college enrollment process. The local College Summit region serves more than 8,500 students in 11 counties in West Virginia and one school district in Pennsylvania. Nationally, College Summit works with 170 high schools in 12 states through partnerships with school districts.
This event is sponsored by the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition, the West Virginia Council of Churches, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, and the National Association of Social Workers (WV Chapter).
