Historic Black Church Donates $100,000 To Pay Off Debts Of Howard U. Students
Source: NPR
EDUCATION
Historic Black Church Donates $100,000 To Pay Off Debts Of Howard U. Students
February 12, 2019 3:17 PM ET
Mya Thompson is a senior at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Late last month, the 25-year-old was on track to graduate in May, but she still owed the school $2,500 in tuition and fees - not a huge sum, but she likely wouldn't get her diploma unless she could come up with the money.
"I get grants, I get loans. I get a need-based scholarship from Howard ... But my financial aid usually doesn't cover everything," says Thompson, who also works at D.C.'s 911 call center and is raising her young son. "I just had to figure out how I was going to handle my everyday bills and set aside $2,500."
Then two weeks ago, she got an email from the office of financial aid at Howard, a historically black university, promising an amazing opportunity if she would just come in and learn about it. She expected to sit through a seminar about something else she would need to apply to. ... But when she got to the financial aid office, she was surprised by pastors from Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., telling her that the church was going to cover the balance she owed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v2kf2TKk96yk
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The grant was just part of a $100,000 gift that Alfred Street Baptist Church made to Howard University that day, paying the debts of 34 students like Thompson, who owed sums ranging from $100 to more than $3,000. ... Alfred Street had raised the money via a church-wide fast during the month of January, during which parishioners committed to doing without certain things, from not consuming sweets or alcohol to abstaining from social media. They were also asked to undertake a "financial fast," and eliminate spending on non-essential items.
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Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/02/12/693953771/historic-black-church-donates-100-000-to-pay-off-debts-of-howard-u-students
Hat tip, the Express, the free tabloid printed by the Washington Post and handed out at Metro stops every weekday morning.
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