City Leaders Announce New Scholarship Program For Students In Poverty

A new scholarship program in Winston-Salem aims to give the poorest residents a chance to attend college. City leaders are providing money to start the scholarship program.

Mayor Allen Joines and Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke are putting about $4,000 dollars of their own money to create this scholarship program. It will allow low-income students or those in public or subsidized housing to attend Forsyth Technical Community College.

It will pay tuition for up to six semesters and provide up to $200 dollars for books. One student will be selected next month for the scholarship. Mayor Joines wants other people in the community to step up and fund more of these next year.

“We like to vision this as a pebble dropped in a pond that the ripples will go out ,” says Joines. “ As we hopefully demonstrate the success of these young people that other businesses and organizations will want to step up and do some additional scholarships.”

The program won't stop there. Burke says it will provide mentoring and resources for students -- like babysitting and transportation while they go to class.

“We also want to make sure when we do this that these students who feel stressed because they don't have what they need know there is support here,” says Burke. We want them to know that we are going to give them the opportunity if they are strictly business and they want to get that education.”

Besides meeting certain income requirements, applicants must be a senior in a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County High School, or be able to complete a GED before starting classes at the college.

Details of the application process haven't been finalized, but will be soon.

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