Healdsburg, Calif. – Students from Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, or Windsor have a new opportunity to get a scholarship for post-secondary gap funding. The application for the Rhodes Family Scholarship is now open until June 10 for first-generation college students. Longtime supporters Lisa and Michael Rhodes seed-funded the scholarship with a gift of $100,000 to Corazón.
Each recipient’s award will be determined by a scholarship committee, considering the difference between the cost of attending the student’s desired college or program and other sources of funding. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must demonstrate financial need and be students whose parents did not earn a four-year degree. The recipient must also be accepted to attend a four-year university or two-year community college, among other requirements (please see details below).
“The Rhodes Family Scholarship will build on the work we’re already doing to overcome education inequities in our community through our teen center, parent support workshops, Kinder2College savings accounts, and FirstGen College Counseling,” said Corazón CEO Glaydon de Freitas. “The cost of a post-secondary education remains an enormous barrier for so many brilliant young students and we’re so grateful to Lisa and Michael for helping our students to access the education they need and want. We hope that their generosity will inspire others to join them in empowering our area’s youth.”
Lisa and Michael Rhodes made the donation in a surprise announcement at the Corazón event Together We Are More: A Conversation with Luis Valdez, held Feb. 25 at the Raven Theater. The event was held to kick off the organization’s new community-based strategy and honored Lisa, who has been closely involved with Corazón since its founding and recently completed her term on the board of directors.
“As a first-generation Latina college student myself, I know from firsthand experience how critical access to advanced learning is for the marginalized and underrepresented segments of our society,” said Lisa. “I’ve devoted much of my nonprofit work to the advancement of at-risk Latina girls, so I was keenly interested in seeing Corazon’s work extend to offering college scholarships to our local Hispanic community. Through the newly-launched Rhodes Family Scholarship, which we will help fund, Michael and I hope to provide a direct impact for local students so that they may achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families,” said Lisa.
About The Rhodes Family Scholarship
Applications open until June 10th.
Recipients will be notified via email by July 15th.
The list of documents and the application form are accessible through this link: https://bit.ly/RhodesScholarshipFund
ABOUT CORAZÓN
Corazón Healdsburg opened its doors in 2016 in Healdsburg, CA, and now serves more than 1,200 individuals and families, most of whom are Latin American, in northern Sonoma County. The organization’s mission is to build a compassionate and just community by empowering and dignifying individuals and families, advocating against injustices, and uniting people to celebrate diversity.