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• 4. How does this benefit our community? What's in it for us? <br />It benefits us in several ways: <br />• College graduates have half the unemployment rate of those without the degree. Unemployed <br />people have more disruptions in their families, are more dependent on the local community <br />for a variety of services, and are more likely to get in trouble with the law and end up in <br />prison. And prison costs over $18,600/year today in Virginia. <br />• Scholarships will lessen the amount of loans that the recipients and their families must take <br />out to afford college. <br />• Many of the recipients will return to Charlottesville to teach and serve the community in <br />other ways, making a decent living and contributing both taxes and talents here. <br />• As the program gets publicized through the schools, younger children and their families will <br />learn about it. This will raise the hopes of these families for a better future, and the kids will <br />be more motivated to study hard and do well in school. Scholarship recipients will be asked <br />to visit our schools and talk about their experiences, about the difference a college education <br />made in their lives, in order to stimulate the interest of kids in elementary and middle school <br />classes. <br />• 5. What's the Charlottesville -Albemarle Community Foundation? <br />This foundation uses philanthropy to strengthen the community by investing in specific programs <br />and projects that meet community needs. It will invest the scholarship fund, and provide the <br />income generated by the fund to support annual scholarships. <br />6. Are there any other local government jurisdictions doing this kind of thing? <br />Yes, there are several. The City of New Orleans offers full tuition, 4 -year grant's to academically <br />eligible, low-income city residents who graduated from local high schools, to go to Tulane <br />University. The City of University Park, Ill., gives 11 $500 awards to deserving students. <br />Abilene, TX gives 6 $1,000 scholarship awards to children of city employees. Sault St Marie, <br />Canada, provides 7 scholarship of $2,000 each for deserving residents. There are others in <br />addition to these. <br />0 <br />