Pittsburgh Review

Allegheny Campus Child Development Center issued the following announcement on Aug. 3.

The Community College of Allegheny County has provided financial assistance for more than 10,000 students with grants made available from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) monies. The funding provides emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted—many of whom continue to face financial challenges and are struggling to make ends meet due to the coronavirus. The grants ranged from $400 to as much as $1,000.

The money was part of about $9.2 million the college allocated for student aid under the CARES Act that was enacted in March 2020 and under the subsequent HEERF 2 and HEERF 3 funding. The aid has been distributed based upon the financial need the students exhibited on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. Financial needs that have been impacted by COVID-19 can include losing a job, having health issues or having difficulty affording rent. The grants were distributed throughout the 2020-2021 academic year.

“This financial assistance is a lifeline to many of our students who continue to struggle financially due to ongoing effects of the pandemic. Providing these funds to students helps CCAC to fulfill its mission of providing affordable access to high quality career and transfer education,” said CCAC President Quintin Bullock.  

The CCAC Educational Foundation also stepped up to help meet the need. Since the onset of the pandemic, the foundation worked to increase the amount of overall scholarship aid available to CCAC students, awarding more than $250,000 throughout the academic year. This represents a 65% increase over the past two years, and it includes a scholarship for incoming students for the first time in the foundation’s history. Additionally, through the generosity of donors, the foundation raised more than $275,000 to fund the purchase of 280 laptops for students who needed to transition to remote education, but who did not have the appropriate technology nor the means to purchase it. Also, with many students indicating a specific need due to loss of employment or other pandemic-related challenges, the foundation more than doubled the Student Emergency GAP Fund awards from the prior year.

Additionally, the college allocated $100,000 in CARES funds to buy laptops for use by students in need of technology assistance. The laptops are on loan to the students for the duration of their CCAC education. The college will continue to provide laptops through the loaner program as students who are experiencing financial need return to campus in the coming semester. CCAC is also allocating $100,000 of the college’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) funding to support the campus food pantries during the 2021-2022 academic year. The pantries, which have served as an essential resource for many students during the pandemic, are supplied with a variety of canned goods, soup, pasta and other nonperishable foods, as well as household items. Several of the pantries also offer fresh produce in season from the campus gardens. Any student in need of food assistance, regardless of income, may utilize the pantries. In addition, the college is providing $350,000 of CRRSAA funds to support students enrolled in the college’s CDL (commercial driver’s license) program and other workforce training programs.   

Original source can be found here.