Tampa organization provides scholarships for children
TAMPA, Fla. - In Tampa, there is an organization with a noble mission: To help children who can't afford college get there, by providing scholarships.
Their hope for these students is "What's Right With Tampa Bay."
Chanita Belcher is taking steps toward her future thanks to the scholarship she got from the Helios Education Foundation.
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"I started at USF my full year of 2019 for my freshman year, and that's when I got my first scholarship for Helios," said Chanita. "And it's just been a reoccurring scholarship still to this day as a grad student. So it's been very helpful."
With a scholarship in hand, Chanita has blossomed into a promising student. She's working on getting her master's degree in Social Science Education.
"My goal is to be a social science teacher in a six to 12th-grade classroom. My ultimate goal, though, is to go back to my middle school, where that became like a great foundation for me to give back to my community," Chanita explained.
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None of her goals would have been possible without the help of Helios.
They provide scholarships for low-income students who dream of going to college.
"The more individuals that we have in our community who have graduated from college, the higher levels of income that we have, the greater civic engagement that we have in our community and the better outcomes for other families overall," Stacy Baier, Senior Vice President, Florida Community Engagement, Operations & Strategic Partnerships at Helios said.
Outcomes that have created a ripple effect.
"We want to make sure that the type of work that we're doing doesn't start and end with a grant," said Baier. We're looking to change lives and influence communities in perpetuity."
It's working - just ask the Black Leadership Network Team at USF. They provide support for minority students at the school.
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"We honestly would not be where we are without Helios," said Melissa Brown, USF BLN Assistant Director of Development for Diversity Initiatives. "They were our primary donors. They're our largest contributing donors."
The program is transforming the lives of students like Chanita.
"It's like my dream probably would have never happened. And I don't know, I probably [would] not be where I am today, definitely. So I just like to be grateful that I like to be thankful that I have it. If I didn't have it, I have no clue where I would be, to be honest," she said.
The foundation is building a stronger, more resilient community by creating a brighter, more inclusive future for all. The foundation also has programs that help elementary school students.