Gear Up College Prep and Scholarship Program

Many Jr high and high school students and their families who attend public schools are acquainted with the Gear Up college preparation and scholarship program for those that fall under the so called low income bracket. That said, there are likely those who for a variety of reasons such as homeschoolers for example who have never heard of its benefits.My son and I(Michelle) were homeschooling when we decided to use some of the public school services;that is when the junior high school counselor informed us about Gear Up.
Here is the US Dept Of Education Gear Up national guidelines link:http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html
 Individual states do have their own links and individual policies. For example here is the Maine Gear Up page:http://www.gearupme.org/
It is important to note that some colleges may not be familiar with the program. (A big reason for this is that many people are under the false impression that select schools are more expensive for low income families than select schools so  unfortunately academically qualified students  they simply do not apply The fact is select schools often have a much larger endowment than public universities. We learned about this fallacy from a Gear Up applying for college presentation)My son for example was admitted to a select college in ME as well as The University of Orono. Well, Orono was very familiar with the program but the private college was  not at all. They did do the necessary research and the funds went through.

Maine Assistance Programs

Hello all;
I (Michelle)just found a page that lists many financially related needs assistance programs within Maine.
I did not know that Maine had a Low Income Refrigerator Replacement program.  Many older refrigerators use up much more electricity than many of the newer models.
http://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/maine_assistance_programs.html 
The site didn't give links to all of the programs they mention such as the refrigerator program, however. We have mentioned some of them here. The refrigerator program has not been linked in the past so here so here it is now:http://www.efficiencymaine.com/in-your-community/low-income-appliance-replacement

United Way of Eastern Maine

I (Lauren) have always know about United way to see what the offer, they are partnered with several agencies in the area, such as:
The following 42 agencies are working with us to focus on the community's most critical issues and deliver quality health and human services to those who need it most.


Acadia Community Association
Amicus/Edward Bouchea Center For Learning
Bangor Area Homeless Shelter
Bangor Area Visiting Nurses
Bangor Y
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Midcoast Maine
Broadreach Family & Community Services
Bucksport Area Childcare Center
Charlotte White Center
Community Health and Counseling Services
Downeast AIDS Network
Downeast Family YMCA
Downeast Health Services
Eastern Area on Aging­­
Eastern Maine Home Care­­
Faith in Action
Families and Children Together
Good Samaritan Agency
Greater Old Town Communities that Care
Healthy Acadia
The Housing Foundation
KidCare America
Legal Services for the Elderly
Literacy Volunteers of America-Bangor
Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County
Maine Mental Health Connections
My Friend's Place
­New Hope For Women
The Next Step
Old Town-Orono YMCA
Parents are Teachers Too
Penquis
Piscataquis Regional YMCA
Shaw House
Shaw HouseSpectrum Generations
Spruce Run Association
Spurwink Services
United Cerebral Palsy of Northeastern Maine
University of Maine Center on Aging
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Washington Hancock Community Agency
Wellspring, Inc.
Womancare/Aegis Association

Its great to see partnrships between different agencies! There website is http://www.unitedwayem.org/ seeing all of these agencies I know of many new things I want to look at and will post soon!

Mabel Wadsworth

I (Lauren) found this place for women's health! Their e-mail is http://mabelwadsworth.pulsemarketingbangor.com/mambo2/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 they have many different services for women. There vision is: Knowledge about our bodies and our sexuality, Resources and clinical services offered in an environment of support and concern, A network that acknowledges our common experiences as women, A focal point for our energy in the enhancement and celebration of women’s lives, A feminist organization in Maine for the enrichment of all people .
This is great a place where women can go and receive help!

College Programs and Note to all Visitors in Maine and Out of State

 First off we would like to welcome our first follower Camille,
A note to non Mainers including Camille: though many programs are just for Mainers, there are also many national programs listed here.

 Lower income parents of college bound students, did you know that college can be very affordable.
As an example, my son goes to a select private college that offers 100% need based aid. If my son(I;m Michelle) would have gone to the state university, it would have been $20,000 something more!Select schools are usually less expensive because they have larger endowments. Harvard for example offers free scholarships to all admitted students.
"Our new financial aid policy has dramatically reduced the amount families with incomes below $180,000 are expected to pay, and parents of families with incomes below $60,000 are not expected to contribute at all to college costs".http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do
Yes, its extremely difficult to get in, that's why its important for students to apply to several schools.

There are also numerous scholarships programs that many college bound students and their parents simply are not aware of:

Quest Bridge is a national program that offers full scholarships at top notch colleges and universities to very high achieving low income students. Here is the main site:http://www.questbridge.org/Here is the link to the National College Match Program:http://www.questbridge.org/students/program.html
They also have college prep programs:http://www.questbridge.org/cps/info.php

HomeSchooling Supplies Program and Visitor Request

 Hi visitors,
We have a request for you all- to please throw a post in the comment section. Are you looking for info on a particular service? been helped by a program? Know of programs yet to be mentioned ect?
Thanks,
The moderators☺


Are there any homeschoolers or would be homeschoolers out there? In addition to The Maine Children's Scholarship Fund I (Michelle) posted on Oct. 12, there is also The Book Samaritan,a national program, that provides homeschooling materials for homeschooling families in financial need.
http://www.thebooksamaritan.com/p/how-does-it-work.html

Website's for Dad's to

I (Lauren) found these websites on Maine.gove for dad's:
http://www.dadsadventure.com/ This website has many things for first time dads filled with information, articles, video's, a magazine and an ask a dad part.
 http://www.fathers.com/ National Center for fathers
http://www.fathersnetwork.org/ for dads who are raising children with specail health care needs and developmental disabilites.
http://www.slowlane.com/ great site for stay at home dads