CAHEC Foundation Sponsors 625 Scholarships for Virtual Learning During Pandemic
As the end of summer approached, many families began to wonder how the pandemic would impact their children going back to school. Once schools made the decision to begin the year remotely, it became evident that some parents would have to decide between working their essential jobs or staying home with their kids. This is a tough decision that many families - especially ones on a fixed income - weren't prepared to make.
The CAHEC Foundation knew our families could potentially be struggling to find affordable childcare options since a lot of them didn't have the opportunity to work from home. For this reason, we decided to support the Scholastic Support Centers at five YMCA locations in four states within our footprint. With the help of donations from sponsors, a grant from United Bank, and additional CAHEC funding, we were able to contribute $125,000 to support 625 scholarships for low-income children located within our footprint!
 One reason this was so impactful was because YMCAs were operating at a limited capacity, meaning that if there was no scholarship funding, they were almost forced to offer their spots to families that could pay the full weekly price. Because of the scholarships we provided, hundreds of low-income families benefited from the Scholastic Support Centers where children received help with online learning, a hot meal every day, and a chance to stay active. More importantly, parents were able to continue working and know their children were in a safe learning environment each day.
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