EdFund Awards Scholarships to Foster Youth
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Mary Anne Kelly
916.526.8150
mkelly@edfund.org
EdFund Awards Scholarships to Foster Youth
$30,000 donation made to the Orphan Foundation of America
RANCHO CORDOVA, CALIF (May 24, 2010) — Foster children have the odds stacked against them. But some determined young people who aged out of the foster care system are beating the odds with the help of EdFund’s annual charity golf tournament.
Results recently released from a long-term survey of foster youth tell a grim story. Roughly 30,000 youths “age out” of the foster care system annually. The study found that only half who had turned 18 and aged out were employed by their mid-20s. Six in 10 men had been convicted of a crime, and three in four women, many of them with children of their own, were receiving some form of public assistance. Only six in 100 had completed even a community college degree.
The EdFund Annual Charity Golf Tournament, this year held May 18 at The Ridge Golf Club in Auburn, CA, is taking aim at those statistics, one student at a time. EdFund has been awarding college scholarships to foster youth out of proceeds from its annual tournament for the last four years. In 2009, five students chosen by the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) received scholarships ranging from $4,000 to $6,000 each.
Lunch speaker and 2009 EdFund Charities scholarship recipient Whitney Rhodes commented that “when you are in the foster care system you don’t have people that are consistent in your life. However, the OFA team is and that means a lot to us. They don’t just send you a check. They care about you as a person and approach each student in a loving and caring way.”
In 2010, the EdFund charity golf tournament raised over $30,000 which will enable seven students to receive scholarships. In addition to associate sponsors who gave $1,000 or less, these community leaders are investing in the future by supporting the college dreams of one of the most under-served, neediest group of students:
Doctorate level
SureWest Broadband
Masters level
DCS, A Performant Company
IQor
Verizon
Windham Professionals, Inc.
Bachelor’s level
Account Control Technology, Inc.
Jeskell, Inc.
Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP
NCO Financial Systems, Inc.
Progressive Financial Services, Inc.
UnitedHealthcare
“Foster youth have so many challenges to overcome,” said EdFund President Sam Kipp. “Paying for their college education shouldn’t be one of them. We’re so grateful to be able to lend a hand to some courageous and determined kids who are really trying to make it.”
Since its inaugural charity golf tournament in 1998, EdFund has donated nearly $300,000 to education-focused efforts for underserved populations.
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EdFund, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, is one of the nation’s leading providers of student loan services under the federal student loan program. EdFund offers students a wide range of financial aid and debt management information while supporting schools with default prevention techniques, regulatory resources and professional training. Founded in 1997, EdFund provides support services to over 2,300 colleges nationwide and nearly one million students annually. In 2009, EdFund’s efforts in borrower education and counseling helped over 470,000 borrowers resolve repayment difficulties, preventing nearly $5.2 billion dollars in student loan default. In addition, EdFund helped more than 27,500 borrowers improve their credit and rehabilitate their loans. EdFund is headquartered in Rancho Cordova, Calif. with regional staff located throughout the nation. For more information about EdFund, please visit www.edfund.org. EdFund and its associated graphic are registered trademarks of EdFund.
