Winnebago County Community Foundation Supports Career and College Readiness

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (August 1, 2020) — The Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) is pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Winnebago County Community Foundation to provide support to students and educators through the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will support virtual and in-person seminars and advising as schools prepare to return after the pandemic caused an abrupt end to the 2019-2020 academic year in March 2020.

The Winnebago County Community Foundation is a local, non-profit, charitable affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. Due to the generosity and vision of all our donors, the Community Foundation was established to build stronger, healthier communities in Winnebago County today, and in the future. The foundation supports its donors and the communities it serves with visionary leadership, effective grant making and personalized endowment building services.

The Winnebago County Initiative will work to bridge gaps in career and college readiness planning caused by school closures and bring focus toward the importance of career exploration and planning in high school, including exploration of apprenticeships, career and technical education opportunities, and college during the Fall 2020 semester.

The project will bring college planning and financial aid information and resources to the students and families of Winnebago County communities to inform high school students and parents of the steps required to achieve their educational goals, as well as specialized events to assist seniors with FAFSA form completion.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty for in-person events, the grant programming will be transitioned to virtual when needed to ensure students are able to continue the important steps in planning for life after high school. With services provided through ICAN, the initiative hopes to serve more than 700 individuals including: students, parents, and educators through a partnership with Forest City High School, Lake Mills Senior High School, and North Iowa High School at Buffalo Center.

“There is a lot of focus on expanding education and training beyond high school to meet the needs of today’s economy. A large part of gaining education and training after high school is having the ability to pay for that credential or degree. ICAN programs are unique in the respect that they are brought into individual communities and provide students with face-to-face assistance with the complex and often-times overwhelming financial aid process in the communities in which they reside,” explained Rob Miller, ICAN executive director. “This grant enables that interaction to happen without requiring families to travel for professional advice. For some families traveling for assistance isn’t possible and the community foundation grant allows ICAN to continue serving these families where they live.”

In an effort to empower students with the understanding that higher education is accessible to everyone, the Winnebago County Initiative is part of a wider effort by ICAN to reach every middle- and high school and every student in Iowa to better prepare students for college and the workforce. According to Complete College America, more than 60 percent of Iowa jobs currently require a degree or credential beyond high school.

ICAN, a nonprofit organization providing career and college readiness planning to students and parents in Iowa, has been educating and empowering Iowa’s future workforce since

1998.

# # #

About ICAN

The Iowa College Access Network is a nonprofit, educational organization. ICAN is the College Access Network for Iowa, and a member of the National College Access

Network (NCAN). ICAN has 10 locations in Ankeny, Cedar Rapids/Hiawatha, Coralville, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Orange City, Sioux City and Waterloo, which provide information and support to students and their families as they plan their postsecondary education and apply for financial aid. All ICAN programs and services are provided without charge. For more information about ICAN, call (877) 272-4692 or visit www.ICANsucceed.org

About the Winnebago County Community Foundation

The Winnebago County Community Foundation is a local, non-profit, charitable affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. Due to the generosity and vision of all our donors, the Community Foundation was established to build stronger, healthier communities in Winnebago County today, and in the future. We support our donors and the communities we serve with visionary leadership, effective grant making and personalized endowment building services.