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Give Something Back Foundation to hold information sessions for scholarships

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the Give Something Back Foundation, founded in Lockport in 2003, will hold information sessions at the following area high schools: West Aurora High School at 6 p.m. and East Aurora High School at 7:30 p.m.

Ninth-graders from East Aurora High School, West Aurora High School, Metea Valley High School and Waubonsie Valley High School must attend to learn about and be considered for the scholarship program. Students will have a chance to earn one of 12 college scholarships that will be awarded this year, for the class entering college in 2019. In the next three years, additional scholarships will be offered, bringing the total to 50 full college scholarships to Northern Illinois University.

At the mandatory information session, officials from the Give Something Back Foundation will explain how the scholarship program works and who is eligible for consideration. Attendees will be tutored on how to complete a College Cost Estimator form, which they will submit to the National Center for College Costs for evaluation.

Through the generosity of the Give Something Back Foundation, the College Cost Estimator brings comprehensive college admissions, selection and financial aid information free to students and their families. It is designed to make federal, state, and institutional financial aid transparent and is a valuable tool for everyone who is college bound.

"Even students who do not qualify for the scholarship will benefit from this form's evaluation, so they can plan wisely about college selection and spending. It's an invaluable tool, says Steven Cardamone, executive director of the Give Something Back Foundation. "And, I can't stress this enough: It's free, so do yourself a favor and come to the information session."

The Give Something Back Foundation's scholarship program works with school administrators and community leaders to select ninth-graders who show academic promise and whose family income level qualifies them to receive a federal Pell Grant. The foundation then pairs its selected students with trained adult mentors who guide the students through the challenges of the high school years at home and in the classroom, preparing them for the rigors of a four-year education.

The mentors help students navigate the process of college admissions and the foundation provides its high school graduates a full-tuition scholarship with room and board paid at one of its partner colleges. The goal of the foundation is to help students who may not have considered college an achievable option to get the guidance they need to get to and through college in four years, ideally without any student loans.

The Give Something Back Foundation was started by Robert Carr, a Lockport native. While a student, he received a $250 scholarship from The Lockport Woman's Club. Of modest means, he so appreciated the gesture, he vowed then to give back to other students when he was able.

Carr is the co-author of "Through the Fires: An American Business Story of Turbulence, Triumph and Giving Back" (Amazon, 2014), and is currently working on a second book about helping young working-class people attend college without going into debt.

Carr built Heartland from a modest startup with 25 employees in 1997 into a Fortune 1000 company that today employs more than 4,300. Heartland's clients range from major retail chains to restaurants to mom-and-pop stores and websites to colleges and school districts in some of America's largest cities. In an age of increasing cyber assaults, Carr has led Heartland to become a gold standard in security strategy.

After a remarkable recovery from the 2008 international hacking conspiracy, Heartland emerged as a champion in the fight against cybercrime. On Dec. 15, 2015, Global Payments Inc., an Atlanta-based worldwide provider of payment technology services, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Heartland for $4.3 billion, and Robert Carr announced he would devote his time to work full time with the Give Something Back Foundation, which was started in 2003 and incorporated in 2006.

For information, visit givesomethingbackfoundation.org or email info@givesomethingbackfoundation.org.

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