SAN BERNARDINO>> Give Something Back, an organization that provides scholarships and mentoring to low-income students in five states, is partnering with California State University San Bernardino to establish a statewide $1 million college scholarship program. The scholarships will benefit students who have faced extreme hardship, especially those who have experienced the incarceration of a parent or who have spent time in foster care.
Under the new partnership, Cal State University San Bernardino will be the first California school served by the college preparation and scholarship program. Give Back is designed to help promising students graduate from college in four years, debt-free.
Robert O. Carr, the founder and chairman of Give Something Back, introduced the program and presented a $1 million check to university officials at a program at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the College of Education atrium at Cal State San Bernardino.
Carr, an entrepreneur, philanthropist and author, grew up in a financially strapped household in rural Illinois. As a high school senior, he received a $250 scholarship from a local women's club. The gift inspired him decades later to establish Give Back and help other working-class students.
“These are students who could use a break,” said Carr. “Cal State San Bernardino has demonstrated remarkable success in working with students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to go to college, and we are very proud to partner with them.”
CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales, praised Carr for his generosity and his dedication to helping the most vulnerable students in need.
“We are deeply honored to partner with Bob Carr and Give Something Back in this truly remarkable program,” Morales said. “The Give Something Back Scholarship offers these qualified students the freedom to succeed academically in college, without worrying about taking on student debt.”
The scholarship recipients, who are all Pell Grant-eligible, will be selected early – in the ninth grade – so they can participate in programs to prepare them to succeed in college. The selected students will be required to maintain a minimum 3.0 G.P.A. in high school, take a college preparatory course load, and demonstrate strong character throughout the program.
The Give Back program includes multifaceted support for students inside and outside the classroom. The program’s California regional partners includes the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, First Star Academies and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
Cal State San Bernardino is the first university in California to partner with Give Back, joining 16 other partner colleges and universities in Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Since Give Back was launched in 2003, the organization has helped more than 1,500 students attend college.
For more information on Give Something Back visit http://www.giveback.ngo/about-us/.
For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit http://news.csusb.edu.