HFCC Gets 2012 Dreamkeepers Matching Gift From Scholarship America

DEARBORN -- The Henry Ford Community College Foundation raised more than $21,000 for the College's Dreamkeepers Program and as a result, received $10,000 in matching funds from the Troy-based Kresge Foundation.

This is the third year HFCC has participated in Dreamkeepers, a national effort of Scholarship America that was established by the Lumina Foundation for Education and funded locally by The Kresge Foundation. The purpose of Dreamkeepers is to provide emergency financial assistance to HFCC students with legitimate financial concerns and help them stay in college to pursue their education.

The terms of the Scholarship America's Dreamkeepers Emergency Financial Assistance Program Grant were $75,000 over a three-year period, which would be used to implement an emergency financial assistance program for HFCC college students who might otherwise be forced to drop out of school. In turn, the College was expected to raise $55,000 through local fundraising for the Program.

HFCC was awarded $40,000 in 2010 to initiate the Dreamkeepers Program. In 2011, the HFCC Foundation raised more than $26,000 and received $25,000 by Scholarship America in matching funds. The period of this grant ran from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2012.

Additionally, a Dreamkeepers Capacity & Sustainability Grant for $10,000 was received to help defray fund-raising costs. These funds helped promote and fundraise for this program.

To date, HFCC's Student Outreach and Support Office has distributed more than $49,000 to 116 HFCC students in need, according to Brenda Hildreth, SOS coordinator.

"This would not be possible without Dreamkeepers," she said.

To be eligible to apply for Dreamkeepers, an individual must be a current HFCC student, hold a minimum GPA of 2.0, and have official documentation demonstrating financial need. Please note that financial aid may be a factor in determining eligibility. Eligible students are invited to visit the On-line Student Application website at https://hfcc.dreamkeepers.org/

For more information, please contact Hildreth at (313) 845-9757 or via email at bjhildreth@hfcc.edu.