Economically deprived students in the Lakeside area are fortunate to have access to a number of charities that operate financial aid programs, providing opportunities to pursue the education and training to which they should be entitled on the basis of their abilities and potential for success.
On the premise that organizations involved in these endeavors can improve their effectiveness and efficiency by cooperating in information exchange, lessons learned and other activities, the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) has put out a call for a Student Financial Aid Mini-Summit to explore such an initiative.
Representatives of all altruistic groups that embrace financial support for worthy students are invited to attend the confab scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the LCS campus. The principal purpose is to facilitate cooperation which will benefit both the organizations and the students receiving aid.
Each organization will be allotted time to give a brief overview of its student aid program, outlining its objectives, major concerns, sources of student candidates, number of beneficiaries, funding resources and so forth in about 10 minutes. Common problems will be addressed and organizations can discuss solutions they have found for the benefit of fellow groups.
LCS will present some ideas to stimulate creative problem solving, for example, identifying all funding sources, including government, schools and other charitable organizations that may provide added support. Another goal could be to form a cooperative to purchase school supplies at wholesale prices.
LCS will also follow-up with an executive summary of the event to be distributed among attendees. And if sufficient interest exists, it will institute an ongoing program to continue this effort, including a full summit bringing together financial aid providers with government agencies and school administrators.
Interested parties should contact Charlie Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or sign up at the LCS office by Wednesday, November 4 to be registered on the mini-summit schedule.