Be a bright light in a dim economy

Bleak news about the economy surrounds us. Unemployment is high. Factories are closing. The Great Recession from which we’ve ostensibly emerged still hovers, dropping cold water on the recovery with statistics like last week’s Labor Department revelation: August’s nationwide net new job creation was

zero, the first time that’s happened since 1945.

Despite such reports, one thing about us has not diminished: our desire to improve our situation, to do better for ourselves and our children, and to move beyond our circumstances. For most, the path to such new beginnings is education — whether with college degree work or college technical training. It’s the road to a new and brighter future, for those with the desire to take it.

But sometimes desire needs a little help.

Financial aid provides assistance, and the college financial aid system is a great boon to enabling students who otherwise would never be able to attend.

As we read in this recent Herald article, however, government-provided financial aid has its pitfalls and delays. It is a vast system of many numbers, some of which simply take a long time to process. There are names behind those applicant numbers, of course, but sometimes they get lost in the long trek between our community and the U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid clearinghouse in Washington D.C.

We know those names, though. They’re our friends, our laid-off neighbors, our recent high school graduates. I was one of them — without financial aid, college would’ve been an incredible conflict between enough studying and enough food.

There is some good news: Government financial aid isn’t the only way to get — or give — help to those who need it. We can make a difference, too. Here. Locally.

The Everett Community College Foundation has been helping students with grants for 25 years. Many recipients have circumstances we recognize: recently laid off, the first in their family to attend college, recent high school graduates looking to earn credits toward a four-year degree. Foundation assistance comes in the form of scholarships, emergency assistance grants and textbook loans — and it’s provided in a timely manner, enabling students to stay on their path and stay in school.

In tough times we hear more about those who need help. That’s because the realities of daily living are inescapable — even for individuals with a burning desire to improve themselves and their situation. Tough times can bring out the best in us, too. Maybe, during a challenging time in your past, someone provided what seemed just a little help, but made all the difference in world.

The EvCC Foundation provides timely and critical financial help to students who want to make the most of it, and themselves. Wonder whether $200 can really make a difference? Ask any student waiting for financial aid — like Tim Gott, from that recent Herald article — whether your help would make a difference. I suspect you’ll get an earful.

You’ll get an earful of thanks, too. Give a little. Give a lot if you can. Because right now a little can go a long way, and can make a huge difference in someone’s future.

To donate to the EvCC Foundation, call 425-388-9555, or go online to www.everettcc.edu/administration/foundation and give today. You can be sure someone will be glad you did — someone in addition to you.

David Iseminger is a member of the Everett Community College Foundation Board. To learn more about the EvCC Foundation, including how to give, go to www.everettcc.edu/foundation. Iseminger is also a Lake Stevens School Board member, and an advocate for improving education in our state. Read about his advocacy efforts at www.tinyurl.com/iseminger, or email him at education@iseminger.com.