News

Boosting FAFSA Completion in Collier County

FAFSA opens October 1!

When it comes to paying for college, there’s nothing more important for students to do than complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form, filed annually, is the gateway to virtually all federal, state, and institutional financial aid, and many private scholarship providers require it as well. Unfortunately, completion rates for the FAFSA have been low the past couple of years due to the impact of COVID-19 — in fact, the Collier County students that don’t complete the form are leaving over $8 million in financial aid on the table each year.

In the face of rising costs and spiraling student debt, those dollars are more important than ever. To help get them to the students who need them, the federal government has worked to simplify the FAFSA process in recent years — the opening date moved up to October 1, the IRS and Department of Ed worked together to allow importing of prior-year tax data, as well as several updates to simplify and expand access.

Ideally, these changes should lead to more students completing the form. But, to work as intended, FAFSA and FCAN (Florida College Access Network) also lean on organizations like Champions For Learning and Future Ready Collier to spread the word.  Since we advise and support students, we’re able to directly help boost FAFSA completion rates, as well as provide a leadership role for our whole county through Future Ready Collier.

Here’s how Champions For Learning is taking a lead role with Future Ready Collier partners on FAFSA completion efforts this Fall:

• Incentives to Class of 2020 and 2021, whose FAFSA completion may have been affected by COVID-19: Collier County high school graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021 who complete a FAFSA between June 1, 2021 and October 31, 2021 can enter to win prizes through the Florida College Access Network’s Cash for College program. Entries are accepted through October 31, 2021 at futurereadycollier.org/cash-for-college/. Students who submit their FAFSA confirmations will be eligible for prizes including a laptop, money for textbook purchases, and Amazon gift cards. This incentive program is being promoted by mail via Collier County Public Schools, via TikTok, a video-sharing app commonly used amongst teenagers that allows users to create 15-second videos, as well as other social media channels.

• FAFSA Completion events hosted by Collier County Public Schools: Champions For Learning supports several CCPS Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Completion events throughout the month of October. Students who need help filling out their FAFSA can attend an in-person session with expert staff and receive personal assistance. Open to all Collier County Public School students and their families, this year’s FAFSA Completion Events are being held at the following locations on the listed date/time:
  • October 4 at Immokalee High School at 2pm-5pm
    (presented by the Guadalupe Center)
  • October 9 at Gulf Coast High School at 9am-noon
    (presented by Champions For Learning)
  • October 9 at Florida Gulf Coast University, Lutgert Hall at 9am-noon
    (presented by FutureMakers)
  • October 23 at Lorenzo Walker Technical High School at 9am-noon
    (presented by Boys & Girls Club of Collier County)
  • October 30 at Barron Collier High School at 9am-noon
    (presented by Florida Gulf Coast University)

• Instant Admissions Decisions: Champions For Learning has coordinated with two of our local colleges to create an amazing opportunity for those that attend the FAFSA Completion events. Admissions officers from FSW (Florida SouthWestern State College) will be in attendance at all of the FAFSA Completion events and will be able to provide instant admissions decisions to students and their families. FGCU (Florida Gulf Coast University) is supplying an admissions application fee waiver to each of the students in attendance at the FAFSA Completion events. This means that students that attend a FAFSA Completion event have the opportunity to not only learn how much financial aid they can expect, but also be admitted to college… all in one day!

• Virtual Financial Aid Night: Champions For Learning’s Jessica Manchette, along with representatives from the Community Foundation of Collier County, FGCU, and CCPS are producing a virtual information session regarding financial aid, scholarship options, and the supports available receive both financial aid and scholarships.  The presentation will air Tuesday, September 28^th from 6-8pm. It will stream live on the district website www.collierschools.com and The Education Channel – Channel 99 (Comcast, CenturyLink, or Summit Broadband).

• Staff Dedicated to FAFSA Completion: Originally introduced to Champions For Learning as a Bank of America summer intern, Maria Primucci is a recent high school graduate working with Champions For Learning before attending the University of South Florida in the spring of 2022. As a daughter of immigrants, Maria was uncertain about how she would obtain the resources to go to college. After attending a financial aid session hosted by her high school, Maria was able to complete her FAFSA, and subsequently heard from friends and classmates who were struggling with their applications. Maria observes, “FAFSA can seem intimidating, especially in homes where there are language barriers. I feel privileged to be able to help others like me. FAFSA helps open doors that students may have assumed were closed to them.”

Lifting Each Other Up Through Mentoring
— by Yadira Vintimilla, Mentor

Growing up in New York City I didn’t have a mentor or anyone to guide me. I wanted to be an advocate, a mentor for someone. I found that at Champions For Learning. Three years ago I was paired with my mentee Hailey and not only has Hailey inspired me but I have also been able to make a difference in her life.

Being a mentor is more than just giving someone time. It is about watching a student progress and cheering on the student through their successes and being a guide. It is important to me that my mentee knows I am always in her court through the good, the bad and the ugly.

There is real value in being a mentor because not only are you investing in the student but also in the community. Not only am I a mentor, I am a friend to my mentee and know that our relationship will go beyond four years.

The pandemic has not changed our relationship it has helped us to become even closer through our virtual mentoring sessions. We can spend more time with each other virtually and I am still able to see her progress and growth. I am very proud to be a mentor.

The big sister I never had, Yadira Vintimilla
— by Hailey, Mentee

To everyone she is just my mentor, to me she is so much more than that. When I first entered the Take Stock In Children program, the thought of having to interact with a total stranger was a bit intimidating. Meeting Yadira for the frst time, it was an instant connection. The best connection. My favorite thing about my relationship with Yadira is how open we are; our relationship is genuine.

Yadira is truly an inspiration. She truly makes an effort to always be there for me, from school, relationships, jobs, life, she is always present with a smile.

I strive to be like my mentor. I admire her intelligence; I had never met such an empowered woman.

Having a mentor has been the best thing to happen to me. Not only does she guide me academically and pushes me towards my goal of becoming an orthodontist, she also guides me through life. She encourages me to be involved in my community, that is why I volunteer through the American Cancer Society. Thanks to our conversations, I have been able to maturely make decisions that benefit me.

My mentor is a blessing to me and I am so lucky to have her in my life.

Are you interested in becoming a mentor?

Champions For Learning is continuing to recruit mentors for our upcoming needs. If you or someone you know is interested, please join us at an All About Mentoring session, a learning opportunity for individuals seeking to learn more about mentoring. The session will review information regarding the mentoring program and the role and responsibilities of a mentor, including the next steps to getting started.

For more information about becoming a mentor, please contact Kristin Peras at KPeras@ChampionsForLearning.org or 239-263-5783.

You’re Invited!

Join us on October 27 to celebrate the Community Open House of the
Frank and Ellen Daveler Center for Innovation in Learning!

8:00-10:00am (8:30am Ribbon Cutting)
&
4:00-6:00pm

For over thirty years, Champions For Learning has been involved in preparing students for their future learning and career goals, utilizing the lab space within our office building to not only inspire students’ ambitions but to help them reach their goals.

Longtime Champion, Frank Daveler, was always grateful to facilitate students’ ambitions as they pursued their own success through opportunities otherwise inaccessible. Because of the $500,000 contribution from Frank and his late wife, Ellen, Champions For Learning was able to launch the Frank and Ellen Daveler Center for Innovation in Learning, allowing the lab space to be reimagined, moving the new Center into the future.

We mourned the passing of Frank last November, just two weeks shy of his 102nd birthday. Frank generously supported both Champions For Learning and FGCU’s School of Entrepreneurship after launching and selling more than a dozen companies in aerospace, engineering and manufacturing. A quote on his business card says, “Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.” Words he was said to have lived by.

With a Grand Opening scheduled for October 27th, the Frank and Ellen Daveler Center for Innovation in Learning expands the capacity and opportunities for Champions For Learning to support innovation between teachers, students, parents, volunteers and community partners. The strongest theme is collaboration, as the spaces are meant to be rearranged to become functional lab spaces where students, teachers, and community partners can come together to discuss and innovate.

We believe the Davelers would have enjoyed seeing students, teachers and community members engaged in this way in this vibrant new space, creating opportunities for our community to connect with students as they prepare for their futures and to inspire solutions to complex challenges.

“Cash for College” Supports Collier County Class of 2020 and 2021 High School Graduates

Champions For Learning and Future Ready Collier Partner with Florida College Access Network to Support Students

Collier County high school graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021 who completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid—more commonly known by its acronym, FAFSA—between now and October 31, 2021 can enter to win prizes through the Florida College Access Network’s Cash for College program. Entries are accepted through October 31, 2021 at futurereadycollier.org/cash-for-college/. Students who submit their FAFSA confirmations will be eligible for prizes including a laptop, money for textbook purchases, and Amazon gift cards.

Champions For Learning and Future Ready Collier (FRC), an education collective impact network, have partnered with Florida College Access Network (FCAN) to administer Cash for College locally. FRC tracks annual student achievement indicators, including rates of FAFSA completion, which strongly correlate with students pursuing post-high school education or career training. FAFSA is a prerequisite for most financial aid, including athletic and merit scholarship. FCAN is a state partner to FRC, and is aligned in efforts to increase overall FAFSA completions and career progression.

Data show that, for the high school classes of 2020 and 2021, FAFSA completion was considerably lower than in prior years. As of June 2019, approximately 52.3% of graduating high school seniors had completed a FAFSA. For 2020, that figure is 49.8%, and 46% for 2021.

The implications are significant. As measured by FCAN, across the classes of 2020 and 2021, 3778 students in Collier County did not complete the FAFSA, which equates to $8,207,242 in available Pell grants left unused. Those who did complete the FAFSA collectively earned $7,234,017 in financial aid, which directly contributes to the Collier County workforce and economy. In Collier County, only 35.2% of adults age 25 to 34 have a technical certificate or college degree, which dramatically limits their earning opportunities. By 2030, it is estimated that 60% of Florida jobs will require some education or training beyond high school.

Jessica Manchette, the Chief Information Officer for Champions For Learning, FRC’s administrative backbone organization, and a team lead for FRC’s FAFSA-related efforts, comments, “It is key to help recent graduates understand that it’s not too late to submit a FAFSA and make a plan for their education. We hope that this helps generate awareness, and encourages students who perhaps were negatively affected by COVID or other life events to believe in their ability to achieve their career goals.”

Maria Primucci is a recent high school graduate working with Champions For Learning before attending the University of South Florida in the spring of 2022. As a daughter of immigrants, Maria was uncertain about how she would obtain the resources to go to college. After attending a financial aid session hosted by her high school, Maria was able to complete her FAFSA, and subsequently heard from friends and classmates who were struggling with their applications. Maria observes, “FAFSA can seem intimidating, especially in homes where there are language barriers. I feel privileged to be able to help others like me. FAFSA helps open doors that students may have assumed were closed to them.”

Naples Luxury Builders is dedicated to making sure that every Naples custom home building experience — from the design stage to the final luxurious detail — is done with pride, honor, and integrity. Owner Steven Sunquist and wife Beverly, who have called Southwest Florida home for 15 years, are committed to excellence in every facet of custom home building, working tirelessly to make sure that every detail is done above and beyond client expectations.

Naples Luxury Builders and the Sunquist family became involved with Champions For Learning four years ago, shortly after their children began school in the Collier County Public School system. Originally from the southside of Chicago, both Steven and Beverly’s families are overflowing with educators. Steven’s parents are teachers — his father is a retired Art teacher, and his mother teaches French at Mother McAuley High School – and his brother is an administrator at a public high school on the southside of Chicago.  Beverly’s sister, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle were also teachers, and she has countless cousins who are educators. “Where we grew up, success and opportunity were often determined by your zip code or who you knew,” said Beverly, adding “The value of good teachers and a solid education was never overlooked.”

After receiving his degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney on a football scholarship, Steven returned to his love of construction and was determined to succeed. Despite many obstacles, and through pure grit, Steven went on to own multiple construction and development companies in Southwest Florida. “I think back to high school and wonder ‘what if there was an organization like Champions For Learning?’ Had there been, I believe more of my classmates would have realized their potential.”

Having funded six grants already this year, the Sunquists believe that the Classroom Grants program gives teachers the opportunity to enrich their classroom with opportunities for students to learn outside of the box, providing them the tools and experiences they need to succeed. Beverly added that “it’s incredibly important to us that all children, no matter their circumstance or abilities, can achieve greatness. Whether a student has learning challenges, is gifted or anywhere in between, not every child learns the same.” Leaning towards grants that support special education students, STEAM, and entrepreneurship, they admire the teachers who go the extra mile for their students by helping them prepare for life outside of school, whether that’s college or a trade. Steven added, “We know how much teachers impact children’s lives.”

Naples Luxury Builders and the Sunquist family’s commitment to bettering the lives of students and providing teachers the tools they need to foster growth has made them an amazing partner of Champions For Learning and we could not be more grateful for their generous support.

“On behalf of the Naples Luxury Builders team, we wish all teachers
and students a very happy and successful school year!”
– Beverly & Steven Sunquist

Classroom Grants provide opportunities for educators to share their projects with the community in hopes of gaining financial support from members of the community. This is facilitated through Champions For Learning, but is 100% dependent upon the generosity of the community.

The role of the community-based Classroom Grants Committee is so important to this process. These engaged community members read through all of the grants–scoring each request using a rubric, assist in delivering grants checks and visit classrooms throughout the district to see the grants in action.

The Classroom Grants Committee truly is an amazing way to support our local teachers and students. We’re so grateful to our community for giving of their time and talent in support of this amazing program.

One community member that has gotten in on the fun of the Classroom Grants Program is Dr. James (Jim) Schmotter. Jim has enjoyed an amazing academic career, serving at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, Lehigh University, Western Michigan University before his eleven years as President of Western Connecticut State University. In addition to his volunteer work with Champions, Jim currently serves as President of the Naples Council on World Affairs and is a member of Habitat for Humanity’s Family Selection Committee.

Recently, Jim was gracious enough to share his thoughts about his three-year tenure on the Classroom Grants Committee:

Tell us about yourself and why you first got involved with Champions For Learning.

Both my wife Daphne Jameson and I had careers in higher education; we met when we were both working at Cornell University.  She taught at Cornell for 38 years, but I moved around some, serving as business school dean at Lehigh University and at Western Michigan University and as president of Western Connecticut State University.  In 2015, we retired to Naples and became Florida residents.  I first heard of the work of Champions from a board member I met at a Northwestern University alumni gathering.  Subsequently, I talked with CFL staff at a Volunteer Fair at the Hilton and attended a “Champions 101” session.  I was impressed by the programs, but even more by the people—volunteers and staff—I met.

What about your background has inspired you to get involved with our organization?

Having been active in volunteer roles with organizations such as Junior Achievement, the United Way, and several community foundations in Connecticut, I was looking for opportunities to apply whatever career skills and knowledge I have to projects in our new community.  Champions For Learning clearly provided that match.  Working all those years at universities convinced me that the education of our youth is a process that extends from pre-kindergarten to high school and beyond.  A solid foundation built early is critical to success.  The programs of Champions for Learning—Classroom Grants, Career and College Prep and Take Stock in Children–all help provide that foundation.  So, I was pleased and honored to be asked to join the Selection Committees for Take Stock in Children and, later, Classroom Grants.

Tell me about what you enjoy most about serving on the Classroom Grants committee?

The creativity and commitment to student success that Collier County teachers demonstrate in their grant applications are inspiring.  What’s especially enjoyable for me is to see how different strategies with different curricular and technological approaches are being applied.  There’s a rich array of educational tools available these days, but often the demands of high-stakes testing discourage their use. As evinced by the number and quality of applications, the Classroom Grants Program counters this trend. It also supplements the school district’s budget, which I know is welcome. But what’s most fun is to receive letters and cards of thanks, often hilariously creative, from students who’ve participated in the grants we’ve funded.

What is it about the Classroom Grants Program that has inspired you to fund various projects?   

We’ve tended to gravitate to projects that match our own backgrounds and intellectual interests.  This year, for instance, we’re funding two projects that provide history students an opportunity to go back in time for virtual tours of the Roman Colosseum and other ancient sites.  But we’ve also funded grants that used classic movies to inspire challenged learners and that provided recorders to all students in an elementary music class.  There are usually around two hundred applications from which to choose, and usually, it’s difficult to decide which of the promising submissions to support.

What do you wish other people knew about Champions For Learning?

I don’t think the average Collier County resident—permanent or snowbird—recognizes the impact that Champions For Learning has on our community.  Literally hundreds of teachers and thousands of students benefit from the programs that Champions, thanks to the support of its donors and friends, is able to offer.  I also don’t think that the wide array of volunteer opportunities Champions offers is well understood.  A key element its mission is providing mentors for high school students, and many in the community value that experience.  However, there are many other ways to become involved in the great work Champions is doing.  Just contact the staff through their website.  They’ll find a place where you can apply your talents.  And—I guarantee—you’ll find it worthwhile!

The majority of Champions For Learning’s 75 recent graduates are headed off to college this fall, in fact several have even begun their next chapter this summer to get a jump on the year ahead.

You might remember back to last summer when Collier County Public Schools launched an initiative to provide all students with laptops for the 2020-2021 school year. The initiative, called Collier Connect, was planned prior to COVID-19, but the pandemic expedited the process so each student would have access to technology to continue learning seamlessly both at school and at home. The program, a major district venture and a huge accomplishment, provided laptops that would stay with the district’s 48,000+ students throughout their time at CCPS.

What many graduating seniors didn’t realize was that their school district-supplied laptop would need to be returned to the school district shortly after graduation, leaving several students in desperate need of this—rather pricey—school supply.

Today, a laptop truly is a necessary school supply for any college student. And at Champions For Learning, we are committed to ensuring that our graduated seniors that are heading to college students have access to any and all state-of-the-art technology available.

Champions was honored to receive a grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County that supported the purchase of nine brand new laptops. A long-time, cherished volunteer, Tom Gamber, purchased and refurbished fifteen additional laptops. In total, twenty-four graduated seniors received laptops, several just in time before beginning their summer semester.

Tracy, a recent graduate of Lely High School who had just turned in her CCPS laptop two days prior, was grateful to the donors who made it possible for her to receive her own laptop before heading to Florida SouthWestern State College in the fall to study Healthcare Administration, adding that “this is going to be a huge help at school!”

Laptops give students the flexibility and freedom they need to work on academic assignments anytime—anywhere, a convenient luxury. No matter where they are, a laptop allows college students the ability to bring their schoolwork with them. And with most college wireless networks, students are able to connect to the internet via their laptop from anywhere.

We can all remember going off to college like it was yesterday. We get our first taste of freedom when we get our driver’s license, but going to college is when we got to really experience independence. Maybe you felt excited, nervous or maybe even relieved. Most likely, you were finally out on your own and it felt great. Now, equipped with the laptops and technology they’ll need to succeed, these Champions For Learning’s students will feel great too.