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246 <br /> <br /> Mr. Caravati said that a committee will be charged with raising matching funds, <br />but a fundraiser will be hired as well. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano said he would like more details about what other scholarship <br />programs are available to low-income students, the average grants made, and the number <br />of students served. <br /> <br />Ms. Wheeler said that information can be provided to Mr. Toscano. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said he would like to know how many scholarships actually go to low- <br />income students. <br /> <br /> Responding to a question from Ms. Richards, Mr. Debra Abbott, a member of the <br />Scholarship Committee, said that one of the criteria of the program may be that students <br />are participating in existing programs such as Amani or Project Discovery. <br /> <br /> Responding to a question from Mr. Lynch, Ms. Abbott said that the Committee <br />has not spoken specifically about amounts of the grants yet, but it is expected that the <br />grants will be more than one time only. <br /> <br /> Mr. Caravati said t-hat the Steering Committee purposely did not decide on details <br />such as this. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards said that one of the original notions of the program was to provide <br />an incentive to students to return to work in City schools or in public service. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano said that the Committee is apparently f'mding problems with that, <br />and said it does raise a question about using public funds and have the students go <br />somewhere else to work and live. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said he is impressed with the program even if that is not possible, and <br />said he would like there to be an incentive to have students receiving the scholarships <br />serve as mentors in the community. Mr. Cox said he found the proposal well constructed, <br />and his only hope is that the committee will be able to leverage funds and attract a board <br />that can help with that effort. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano said the mentoring issue is important and questioned whether it <br />could be used as a basis for terminating grants. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards said it is important for the community to participate with the City on <br />this and important to raise the matching funds. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said it might be helpful to have the scholarships contingent on raising <br />matching funds, and suggested that the resolution be amended to reflect this. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards said the concept of not releasing the funds until the matching funds <br />are raised is appealhag. <br /> <br /> Ms. Virginia Daugherty, a member of the Scholarship Committee, said she <br />understands Council's concern, but said the problem is that the Committee wants the <br />funds to start building interest now. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards proposed that the scholarships not be awarded until the matching <br />funds are raised. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox made a motion to approve the resolution approving the scholarship <br />program, amending it to state that the scholarship awards will commence when matching <br />funds are raised to build the fund to $500,000. Ms. Richards seconded the motion. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano offered a friendly amendment adding "for grants to continue from <br />year to year, students must participate in an appropriate mentoring program adopted by <br /> <br /> <br />