 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2002 (XXXX 4) |
This September an unprecedented number of Quaker children are enrolled in PYM Friends schools with the help of financial aid from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and some 70 monthly and five quarterly meetings. Thanks to the energetic leadership of several PYM groups and affiliated Quaker organizations, including the Chace and Bequests Granting Groups, 425 children in grades K through 12 will be receiving almost $500,000 of financial aid from PYM and a similar amount from their monthly and quarterly meetings. Moreover, the 31 elementary and secondary Friends schools contribute an even larger sum to enable Quaker families to realize the dream of a Friends education for their children. That number of students represents a 10 percent jump in participation from last year, and the sixth consecutive annual increase.
The Education Granting Group, which oversees the PYM tuition aid program for Friends children in Friends schools, has been collaborating closely with the Education Standing Committee, the Friends Children in Friends Schools Project Group and the Friends Education Fund towards the goal set forth in the PYM "Covenant on Education" (1999), namely "to develop the resources to ensure that no PYM family seeking an education in a PYM Friends school for their child be denied that opportunity for financial reason." In addition, the Jonathan Rhoads Endowment Fund for Friends Children in Friends Schools was launched last spring, with the vision of building our long-term capacity to provide meaningful scholarships. PYM will continue to nurture the relationship of the Quaker community with Friends schools, to safeguard the opportunity for future generations of Quaker children to attend Friends schools.
This fall the Education Granting Group will be sponsoring a workshop for Monthly and Quarterly Meetings (date and location to be announced) on the tuition aid process. The goal of the workshop will be to address frequently asked questions and clarify the process for Meetings, particularly those individuals or committees who are helping families navigate the terrain of school financial aid. If you would like more information about this workshop, or any aspect of this effort, e-mail FEF@pym.org or call 215-241-7223.
Tom Hoopes
Central Philadelphia Meeting
PYM Coordinator of Education Programs
Susan Makler
Abington Meeting (PA)
Clerk of Friends Education Fund
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM