BANK OF AMERICA SUPPORTS LOW INCOME CHILDREN'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Local nonprofit, Families Forward, announced today that Bank of America has become a supporter of its Opportunities for Kids Scholarship Fund. The bank presented the Redmond-based organization with a generous donation of $5,000.
“This will make a difference in the lives of a lot of children,” said Cyndy Cook, Executive Director of Families Forward. “Our scholarship fund has been able to help some kids attend the Boys & Girls Club and was able to send eight children to camp for the first time in their lives this past summer.”
The funds, made available through Bank of America’s Foundation, will be used to provide opportunities for children whose families are residents of apartment communities owned by Housing Works, the regional housing authority. Children whose families are participating in Housing Works’ rental assistance program will also be eligible for scholarships.
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation is dedicated to providing opportunity for all in its commitment to its communities. Providing support to organizations like Families Forward, Inc., which provide opportunity and improve the quality of life in its communities, is key to the bank’s strategy to build capacities that truly make a difference.
The Opportunities for Kids Scholarship Fund provides resources to assist parents in providing year round safe, quality learning and enrichment opportunities to resident children during the hours directly after school and when school is not in session. The ability to participate in the programs offered by local organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon, the parks and recreation districts, and the High Desert Museum, allows the children of Housing Works' client families to meet a diverse group of youngsters of similar ages and have access to educational, cultural and recreational events and other field trips, expanding their experiences.
“Our kids were missing out on being part of a lot of really great programs offered in our communities,” said Cook. “We created the scholarship program so the ability to pay for the program would not be a barrier for them.”
Most recently, the scholarship fund made it possible for eight children, between the ages of 8 and 14, from farm worker families in Madras to attend the 2008 4H International Summer Camp. The fund paid for the campers to attend. It also provided each child with a sleeping bag and other camping necessities such as sun block, insect spray, and flashlights.
The Opportunities for Kids Scholarship Fund is a program of Families Forward, a 501 (c) (3) corporation created by Housing Works. The nonprofit is aimed at providing the resources and collaborative partnerships needed to offer families who are part of the regional housing authority’s programs or live in its rental communities greater access to the region’s social, cultural and educational programs. Its aim is to increase the numbers of households achieving economic independence and self-sufficiency and to provide opportunities for affordable homeownership.
Other Families Forward programs include a Ready-to-Rent aimed at helping renters overcome past issues that are locking them out of the rental market; the Gateway Center for career development which includes a boutique to provide program graduates with free work-appropriate clothing; and one-on-one counseling and education for lower income households who may be struggling to become or succeed as first time homeowners.
