USA Funds-Sponsored Events Help 12,000 Apply for Financial Aid

Completing the application necessary to qualify for financial aid can be a daunting task. The paperwork and length of the form can be a challenge, especially for those who never have been through the process. At College Goal Sunday, volunteers aim to ease the process of applying for financial aid for college by teaching students and their families about the various forms of financial aid and providing assistance with completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.    

“With the demand for postsecondary education continuing to climb, more and more families are in need of expert, one-on-one assistance with completing the FAFSA,” says Braulio Colón, statewide coordinator, College Goal Sunday Florida. “College Goal Sunday brings the expertise to the community — helping more students gain access to free money.” 

College Goal Sunday is a nationwide effort to help parents and students get their financial aid paperwork in order. For the 13th year, USA Funds^® helped to sponsor  College Goal Sunday, funding events in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland and Wyoming in 2009. This year USA Funds also sponsored Mississippi’s first-ever College Goal Sunday.

More than 12,000 students and their families attended these events at more than 120 sites. 

“College Goal Sunday gives families one place to go to not only get their questions answered, but also to have an opportunity to actually sit down and fill out the form,” says Kyle Malone, USA Funds access and outreach manager. “For many students, especially first-generation students, the financial aid process can be very overwhelming. College Goal Sunday helps to alleviate that confusion, and puts students on the path to receiving financial assistance.”

College Goal Sunday originated in 1989 as a program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association and the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.