Spring is one of the busiest times for a student preparing to go to college, and it can be one of the most confusing, too.  Students are receiving their acceptance and financial aid award letters and have to begin making difficult decisions about which school they'll attend in the fall.

 

The process can be daunting, especially for students and parents who are unfamiliar with the process and financial aid jargon.  How do you know which school is the best fit?  The best financial value?

 

That's where Cleveland Goes to College comes in.  A partnership among College Now, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Public Library and the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland, Cleveland Goes to College is a program that takes college access and financial aid advising into communities to augment the services that College Now provides in schools and in its Downtown Resource Center.

 

In April, students and families can come to City of Cleveland Recreation Centers, branches of the Cleveland Public Library and the Boys & Girls Club with their award letters, and College Now advisors will help them compare awards, apples to apples, so that the students and families are comfortable with the financial decision they are making.

 

Upcoming Cleveland Goes to College program dates and locations:

• Monday, April 16, 5:30 - 7 p.m., Zelma George Recreation Center
• Tuesday, April 17, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Collinwood Branch, Cleveland Public Library
• Wednesday, April 18, 5:30 - 7 p.m., Michael J. Zone Recreation Center
• Monday, April 23, 5:30 - 7 p.m., Glenville Recreation Center
• Tuesday, April 24, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Harvey Rice Branch, Cleveland Public Library
• Wednesday, April 25, 5:30 - 7 p.m., Earle B. Turner Recreation Center
• Thursday, April 26, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Rockport Branch, Cleveland Public Library

Cleveland Goes to College programming is free and open to the public.  For more information, call 216-241-5587.

The Deaconess Community Foundation has awarded College Now $20,000 to provide college access guidance, financial aid counseling and scholarships and retention services through our downtown Resource Center and at numerous community settings to adults, ages 19 and older who want to return to college or are enrolling for the first time. Our work with adult learners is vital; we know that by 2018, 57 percent of the jobs created in Ohio will require postsecondary education, yet just 13.7 percent of Cleveland adults have earned a Bachelor's degree or higher (24.1% for the state as a whole).  Unfortunately, however, adult learners often face even stiffer financial challenges than college students coming directly from high school as they earn just too much to qualify for federal aid and grants from the educational institutions they attend. Thus, the advising services and scholarships College Now can offer to adult learners, thanks to partners like the Deaconess Community Foundation, are crucial for ensuring that these individuals matriculate to and graduate from college with as minimal debt as possible. Indeed, adult learners who receive scholarships from College Now, have a 55% graduation rate as compared to the national graduation rate of 40% for all adult learners.

College Now was proud to be a community sponsor of the 36th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), which ran from March 22 - April 1, 2012 at Tower City Cinemas.  For the past 36 years, the CIFF has been the premier film event in Ohio. This year, the CIFF presented a full survey of contemporary international and American Independent filmmaking, with more than 150 features and 130 short subjects from approximately 60 countries.  Yet again, the CIFF broke attendance records with more than 85,000 admissions during this year's 11-day event, increasing last year's record-breaking attendance by 7,000 and hosting the Festival's 1,000,000th patron!

 

Purchase Your Tickets for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational through College Now!

 

College Now is pleased to partner with Tickets Fore Charity, a unique fundraising initiative designed to raise funds for local non-profit organizations in communities, like Northeast Ohio, where PGA TOUR events are held. 

 

The Bridgestone Invitational is providing local non-profits like College Now with the opportunity to promote the sale of tournament tickets to benefit their organization.  100% of the net proceeds from the ticket sales through the Tickets Fore Charity program go to charity: 75% of the net proceeds will benefit the selling organization (College Now), and the other 25% goes to the local chapters of The First Tee.

 

By participating in the Tickets Fore Charity program, golf aficionados have the opportunity to experience the best of golf (at a significant discount) AND support College Now.

 

Tickets are available for online purchase from Wednesday, March 16 thru Wednesday, August 3:

• Weekly Grounds Pass: $70 from March 16-June 20 (Regularly priced at $95)
• Any Day Grounds Pass: $20 from June 21-August 3 (Regularly priced at $45)

 

To get your tickets for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational:

• Click here to purchase Weekly Grounds Passes
• Click here to purchase Any Day Grounds Passes
• Be sure to enter promotional code "TEEBOX" (must be in all caps) to designate College Now as the organization you wish to support!

 

Questions?  Contact Elizabeth Day, College Now Director of Marketing and Communications, at 216-241-5587 or eday@collegenowgc.org.

The Nordson Corporation, through its Foundation, has been a significant supporter of College Now for more than two decades!  Nordson is well-known for its extensive and thoughtful corporate philanthropy across Lorain County, and College Now is grateful for Nordson's ongoing partnership, which over the years, has enabled thousands of high school students in Lorain County to work with a College Now advisor in their schools.  Additionally, in recent years, Nordson also has funded last dollar college scholarships through College Now; last year, in conjunction with support from Nordson and other donors, 49 students who graduated from Lorain County high schools received a College Now scholarship.