Fill out the FAFSA January 1st!

(The following article is (c) 2012 by J.P. Paulus. This may article may be reproduced ONLY with the permission of the author.)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, is the backbone to getting federal and state financial aid for college. If you have a student going back to college, or starting for the first time next fall (or even thinking about it), then you as a family need to fill out the FAFSA, and do it as soon as you can right after January 1^st.

A completed FAFSA puts you in line for financial aid, not just on the federal level, but also for states, and other resources. (Scholarships are different category, and need another type of application and a separate article.)

The FAFSA is a key form used by the US Department of Education, much in the same way the 1040 is the fundamental form for the IRS.  After you fill out the FAFSA, you will receive a number called the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. But rather than the number that you should expect to pay, consider the EFC more like a credit score – a measurement of your financial need. An EFC of 0 (zero) would qualify you for the maximum amount of federal and state aid, if it is available through the school.

In order to fill out the FAFSA, you need to make sure that you go to www.FAFSA.GOV and NOT the FAFSA.COM website. You might not trust the government for many things, but you can trust a .gov website.  Also, there is no reason for you to pay money to fill out the FREE application for federal student aid (which FAFSA.com will do).

There are three items that are important to filling out the FAFSA:

1.       Social security cards

2.       W2 Forms

3.       Bank statements

The student needs the social security card, not just for the number, but also the correct spelling of the student’s name on the card. Any mistakes or variations (like a nickname) can cause serious problem. The parent, however, does not need a social security card or number, though it is helpful.

A driver’s license or state ID can also expedite the process.

W2 forms are needed from the parents (and the students, if available). Please note that providing this information does not obligate the parent to pay for any of their child’s education.  And if you (as a parent) feel you don’t make enough money to contribute anything to your child’s education – then you contribution to this section will actually help your child get more financial aid than perhaps if they filed as an independent student.

Bank statements also provide a snapshot of a family’s financial strength.

Parents who filled out the FAFSA back when they went to school need to make sure they have a shift in their mindset. In the “olden” days” of the FAFSA (back when our family filled out the FAFSA), the conventional wisdom was that you filled it out after taxes. The idea was that the paperwork was hard to update and very cumbersome, and you would need to send in copies of forms to “verify” any estimates, which would delay your financial aid. The time, and the opportunity for information to get lost, were very legitimate concerns back then.

With the modern wonders of the web, FAFSA now has a one-click tool where you can download your tax information, as long you filed electronically (such as TurboTax, or a professional service such as H&R Block).  And rather than calculate each student (and each update) by hand, the computer can easily calculate and update information, so financial aid officers actually embrace this method of estimating your FAFSA information.

Students can fill out the FAFSA anytime after January 1. So right after you say “Happy New Year!”, you can do it. Or, more likely, when you wake at 3pm in the afternoon.

This can also be a great event for churches after Sunday service. If you have access to a computer lab, one advisor can help several families through the FAFSA process.

Who should fill it out? Obviously, those going into college next year, but especially returning students, and even adults who are even just thinking about going to college. There’s no obligation to go to a specific college by filling out the form. You can easily change which colleges receive your information. And again, for parents, there is also no legal obligation to pay for the college education, even though you have given your information.

Another reason to fill out the FAFSA: colleges can not give you a financial aid package without the FAFSA being completed. You will also need to have been accepted at that college as well, because good colleges will not offer money to students they don't think will succeed at their school. 

We must emphasize once more, it is vital that students fill out the form as soon as possible, after January 1.

For example, in Illinois, the MAP grant is worth up to $4820. Again, in the “olden” days, the MAP grant money ran out by August (when most schools start their fall semester). In 2012, the money ran out March 23, which is a month before taxes are due (and usually done).

There is much more information that could be shared. But one last note to consider: the FAFSA is just a snapshot of a family’s financial situation. Colleges are aware that things happen. The key to getting exceptions to financial aid (called professional judgment) is documentation. The FAFSA is the prime example of it, but certainly not the limit. Contact your financial aid office if you think the EFC does not accurately reflect your family’s situation. 

Here are important links to see

• www.FAFSA.gov (direct web address to the FAFSA)
• www.studentaid.gov (US Dept. of Education’s website on financial aid and the college-going process)
• www.knowhow2go.org (a national campaign to help students go to college)

Individuals who need help with financial aid issues should go to www.studentaid.gov or call 800-4-FED-AID (in Illinois, they can go to www.ISAC.org or call the Illinois Student Assistance Commission at 800-899-4722 ).

JP Paulus of Do-Gooder Consulting works with churches and nonprofits, and even businesses to help them integrate college access training into their programs. More information is available at www.do-gooder.us

We hope you LIKE to FOLLOW us!

Do-Gooder Consulting is on Twitter and Facebook, so we hope you will like to follow us!

We also want to explain our our internet presence is various fields.

Our website is found at www.do-gooder.us and has the basic information about our services.

We also maintain a blog, whch you can bookmark at blog.do-gooder.us and this is where we will give free advice in detailed articles.

On Twitter, @dogooderchicago, we send out short messages, such as reminders of meeting where we will attend (such as Chicago's Urban Youth Network and the Illinois College Access Network). We may also re-tweet relevent items, and other short thoughts and important links.

We also pre-schedule Tweets using Twuffer, so we can help get you information when you need it.

Our tweets are also automatically posted on our Facebook company Page. We'll use that page to also post polls, provide links to important items (with our own insight regarding the link), and items for discussion.

We can also interact with you as a Facebook Friend, with the ID of Do Gooder. We post tweets, similar to the page, but also have to the ability to message and realtime live chat with you as well.

If all of these technologies seems confusing, we also provide consulting to help you sort through it, and help you use it to benefit your organization.

You can also reach us in the "ancient" ways of snail mail, phone or e-mail.

Do-Gooder Consulting

P.O. Box 199233

Chicago IL 60619-9233

872-222-8008

blog@do-gooder.us

We look forward to hearing from you!

Illinois College Access Network meeting = November 14, 2012

The Illinois College Access Network will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 on the campus of Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, on the second floor, in downtown Chicago.

It is a free meeting. More important than the fabulous free breakfast that they provide, this is a great opportunity for networking as well as learning about issues and solutions in regards to the access of college for our students.

For more information or to RSVP, contact the Illinois College Access Network via e-mail at

illinoiscollegeaccessnetwork@gmail.com

or traditional mail at

Illinois College Access Network
PO Box 778
Chicago, IL 60690

This meeting will focus on topic of “Is College Really Worth It? If Yes, Is it
Affordable?” and use small group discussion to facilitate participation among the attendees, and to help everyone learn from each other.

Do-Gooder President JP Paulus will be in attendance, would love to join other attendees for lunch afterward.

See you at the CCDA National Conference

Do-Gooder Consulting president JP Paulus will be presenting a workshop at the 2012 National conference for the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), held this year in the Twin Cities (specifically Minneapolis).

The workshop is Saturday, September 29 at 3pm, in Board Room 3.  We hope to see you there, or elsewhere in the conference.

Here's the link for the conference program.  Please give us a call at 872-222-8008 if you wish to connect.

See you at CCDA!

.church web extention coming in 2013

Earlier this year we talked to you about web domain extensions OTHER than .com, .net , .org or .edu


Two companies that are bidding to win control of the .church extension informed Do-Gooder Consulting (back between June 26-28) that they could start opening up that website extension in early 2013.

So today, if you were going to try for First Baptist Church of Chicago, you might have to go with something like FBChurchof Chicago.com  

That's a mouthful, and the odds are very good that people interested in the church will NOT remember the web domain name, and not look up that ebsite.

However, if we are able to take advantage of the new domain names, we could get a domain as easy to remember as www.firstbaptist.church


We at Do-Gooder Consulting, can help you secure a domain. Contact us immediate and we can set plans in place, so that when the domain (or a close alternative) opens up, we can take advantage of it.

And in the mean time, we can help you use one of the othe ravailable web domain extensions, such as .org, .me and .us as an alternative.

Reload Chicago = April 6, 2013

From Reload Chicago's Facebook page:

Save the Date! Sat, April 6, 2013. We have Steven Pemberton as our keynote speaker. He is a dynamic author, speaker and diversity officer at Walgreens, whose story includes strong faith in God and a love and passion for the adults in his life who cared about him along the way. Watch this clip to hear more about Mr. Pemberton and his story.

Reload is one day training for Christian urban youth workers. Whether a full time youth pastor or a volunteer worker, or even a high school youth-who-is-a-leader, this is a day of training, fellowship and networking. Reload is in over 20 cities and is sponsored by the Urban Youth Workers Institute. 

Locally in Chicago, North Park University's Center for Youth Ministry Studies has been at the forefront of Reload. Chicago's Reload has been one of the most well attended of the national conferences. And speaking of local, Chicago's owm Amy Williams will be the closing speaker!

If you have been touched by the KingdomWorks/CompassionWorks conferences that were annual events in Philadelphia and other cities in the 1990's, then you will appreciate Reload
.

Here are some of the core workshops that will be presented. additional workshops will be developed for Chicago.

Angry Ministry:  What Do You Do When A Student Shows Up At Your Program More Angry Than Happy Every Week?

Do you really have enough program time to spend in order to impact a student that never smiles?  Most youth workers have wrestled through this same challenge unable to connect biblically or relationally.  This workshop will provide you with effective relational approaches, practical responses to teach your teens, and spiritual foundations that students can adopt to help manage the missed smiles in their heart.

 

Building Blocks of Urban Youth Ministry (First Two Years)

If you’re new to youth ministry or need a fresh start, this one’s for you! You may be asking questions like: Where do I begin? What is most essential? What are the best ways to build a volunteer team? How can I better connect with youth in the church and beyond the four walls? Learn a step-by-step process for mapping out your first two years in urban youth ministry.

Core Values of a YouthWorker: Laying A Foundation For Ministry

You’ve heard it said that “Values are caught, not taught.” Is there a set of core values that every urban youth worker should live through and live out? If so, what are they and how should we integrate them into our life, ministry and youth ministry? This session will help you to find a foundational theology on which to build values for ministry that will help you stand strong against the tests and adversities of life.

Feeding Father Hunger: Understanding And Ministering To The Fatherless Generation

Oftentimes both kids and adults are unaware of the lifelong effects that an absent father has in the life of a child.  The emotional response of the fatherless can be linked to poverty, high school dropout rates, crime, drug use, and teenage pregnancy.  The fatherless live a lifestyle living with a father they don’t see, while filling the empty space with painful outburst and pseudo-comfort realities.  This Workshop will provide you insights for helping youth to discover their identity, pinpoint side effects that are gripping them from growth, and discover practical mentoring approaches to free their souls and not block their blessings.

Call of Duty: Building Assets Every Student Needs
(Junior High Adult Leader Track)

This track will teach how to build sustainable assets for Junior High Students and interface with realities without being controlled by them.  As a youth worker, our relational time with students is minimal; therefore, it is important for us to focus on the right things.  Kingdom ministry to students shifts our efforts to play it forward by teaching them to spend less time trying to control problems and troubles…in an exchange to visit their capabilities in strength and potential.  Students must learn the value in not being a joystick to the challenges in their lives.

Teen Track:  A Facebook Without Love

In years past, sex, alcohol, and drugs were a few of the leading influencers that “helped” teens feel as if they were gaining ground relationally with other students.  When these were coupled with media and music, it seemed like adults were always 10 steps away from a youth’s daily reality.  In today’s world, teens can connect visually without ever having to confront who they really are!  In fact, through social media avenues, teens can bypass life – yet still feel alive and in the mix!  This session will remind students of who they really are, and how loving themselves first will help them lead their lives into a personal book they can face forever.

 

See you next year at Reload!

 

 

Revised: Illinois College Access Network Mini-Conference on July 26. 2012

The Illinois College Access Network (IllinoisCAN) is hosting a mini-conference at North Park University.

If you have been to one of IllinoisCAN's quartely meetings, you know they do a great job.

This is a FREE event, but you need to sign up AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Tuesday, July 24, is the deadline.

In addition to networking opportunities , you will have the choice of 9 workshops, which can be applicable to other aspects of your organization, in addition to access to college for your youth.


Here's the agenda for the mini-conference. It was revised from our last entry, and includes speaker biographies:

Illinois College Access Network

3^rd Annual Mini-Conference

Thursday, July 26, 2012

8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Click Here to RSVP by Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Track 1	Direct Service Provider Topics
Track 2	Executive/Managerial Topics
Track 3	Development/Fund Raising Topics

8:00 – 8:30	Registration and Best Practices Gallery (Auditorium Foyer)
8:30 – 8:50	Welcome and Opening Remarks (Auditorium)
9:00 – 10:00	Navigating The Transition to College	Mindfulness & Meditation for Leadership and Success	Donors Forum 1.0
10:15 – 11:15	Secrets of College Admissions	Chartering Your Course in the World of Work – Part I	Donors Forum 2.0
11:30 – 12:30	Effective Parent Engagement	Chartering Your Course in the World of Work – Part II	Advancing Your Mission With Special Events
12:30 – 1:00	Best Practices Gallery Share materials and tools with colleagues to extend the reach, impact and success of the Illinois College Access Network. (Auditorium Foyer)
1:00 – 2:00	Lunch Keynote Address with Q&A University of Chicago Consortium From High School to The Future series: “The Challenge of Senior Year in Chicago Public High Schools” The report is being released fall 2012 Presented by two of the Authors: Eliza Moeller, Senior Qualitative Analyst Thomas Kelley-Kemple, Senior Quantitative Analyst

Click Here to RSVP by Tuesday, July 24, 2012

North Park University * 3225 W Foster Avenue * Chicago, Illinois

Conference Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 am Breakfast and Registration

8:30 – 8:50 am Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:00 – 10:00 am Session I

10:15 – 11:15 am Session II

11:30 – 12:30 pm Session III

12:30 - 1:00 pm Best Practices Gallery

1:00 – 2:00 pm Lunch and Keynote Address

From High School to the Future series:

“The Challenge of Senior Year in Chicago Public High Schools”

The report is being released fall 2012

University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research:

The Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) at the University of Chicago conducts research of high technical quality that can inform and assess policy and practice in the Chicago Public Schools. We seek to expand communication among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners as we support the search for solutions to the problems of school reform. CCSR encourages the use of research in policy action and improvement of practice, but does not argue for particular policies or programs. Rather, we help to build capacity for school reform by identifying what matters for student success and school improvement, creating critical indicators to chart progress, and conducting theory-driven evaluation to identify how programs and policies are working.

Keynote Speakers:

Eliza Moeller is the lead qualitative researcher for the Chicago Postsecondary Transition Project, which is based at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and is a sponsored project of the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. Her research interests include adolescent development; the postsecondary planning process; and supportive school, home, and community environments for academic achievement in high school.

Moeller received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and M.A. in social service administration from the University of Chicago.

Thomas Kelley-Kemple is a research analyst with the Postsecondary Transition Project which is based at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and is a sponsored project of the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. His current work focuses on senior-year course taking in CPS high schools and its effect on college attainment and retention.

Kelly-Kemple received his B.A. from the University of Chicago in public policy.

Click Here to RSVP by Tuesday, July 24, 2012

North Park University * 3225 W Foster Avenue * Chicago, Illinois

Panelist and Facilitators

Mindfulness & Meditation for Leadership and Success

Sylvia M. Ewing, Director of External Affairs, Illinois Network of Charter Schools

Sylvia Ewing is a non-profit executive, award-winning journalist and meditation teacher committed to offering her life skills to help others find self-awareness and enlightenment. Sylvia  is Director of External Affairs for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and author of the forthcoming book Comfort and Joy: Stories of Hope, Meditations for Happiness.

Secrets of College Admissions

Jerry Pope National College Advisor, Niles High School District 219

Pope has over 30 years of college admissions experience and served as the Dean of Admissions at Illinois Wesleyan University and the Director of Admissions at St. Olaf College. He is active in the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) and the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and served on the Executive Board of NACAC as the Vice President for Admission Practices and Ethics. He also co-chaired the Joint Task Force on Admission Decision Options for the College Board and NACAC. In the spring of 2010, Pope received the IACAC President’s Service Recognition Award.

Navigating The Transition Through College

Khair A. Sadrud-Din, College Years Counselor, LINK Unlimited

Khair has worked at LINK for the past four years and he is on the front lines in terms of assisting our students and their parents through the college search process. Rodney is also the Executive Director of Kappa Leadership Institute - Chicago. Within his role at Kappa Leadership Institute, he also assists high achieving African-American male high school students and their parents through the college search process. If you would like to contact him, it would probably be best to reach his on his cell phone or email.

Click Here to RSVP by Tuesday, July 24, 2012

North Park University * 3225 W Foster Avenue * Chicago, Illinois

Donors Forum 1.0 and Donors Forum 2.0

Laura E. Zumdahl, Ph.D., is Vice President, Nonprofit Services, providing leadership to Donors Forum's capacity-building efforts to strengthen nonprofits in the sector. Laura is passionate about creating effective and innovative nonprofits to solve social problems and is an advocate for leadership development across all levels in organizations.

Laura joined Donors Forum in 2011 after serving in a variety of leadership roles in the nonprofit sector in legal aid, higher education, and child welfare. Prior to joining Donors Forum, she was the Interim Executive Director and Associate Executive Director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid. Laura was also named a 2011 Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Fellow by the Chicago Community Trust.

Laura earned a B.A. in Sociology from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois; a M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration; and a Ph.D. in Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee.

Advancing Your Mission With Special Events

Sylvia M. Ewing Director of External Affairs, Illinois Network of Charter Schools

Sylvia Ewing is a non-profit executive, award-winning journalist and meditation teacher committed to offering her life skills to help others find self-awareness and enlightenment. Sylvia  is Director of External Affairs for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and author of the forthcoming book Comfort and Joy: Stories of Hope, Meditations for Happiness.

Effective Parent Engagement

Mario Bucio, Director of La Casa, The Resurrection Project

Maria Bucio is currently Director of La Casa – a student housing initiative of The Resurrection Project (TRP). Previous to joining TRP, she held positions at Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), Chicago Public Schools, Loyola University, and Chicago State University. María, a Chicago-born daughter of Mexican immigrants, is committed to empower her Latino community through education. Among professional peers, she is regarded as a trusted college access professional and financial aid expert.

Krystina Briones and Brittney Cleveland, Project Greenlight, Cappex

Click Here to RSVP by Tuesday, July 24, 2012

North Park University * 3225 W Foster Avenue * Chicago, Illinois

You are NOT stuck with a .com for a website name

When many of us think of websites , we have been conditioned to think of it as .com  and not realize that there are a host of other opportunities, currently available, with more on the way..

The .com part is called a domain suffix. Others you may be familiar with include .gov (for US federal, state and local governmental bodies) or .edu (for schools, usually colleges, but even elementary school systems, such as cps.edu).  There are 22 of those top-level domain suffixes, and they exist alongside 250 country-level domains, such as .ca for Canada or .jp for Japan.

Another reason to consider something OTHER than a .com - the number of websites with that suffix. Here are the most popular(according to the above article, from WhoIs):
.com = 103.9 million (as of June 27, 2012)
.net =     14.8 million
.org =     10.0 million
  .us =       1.8 million

Looking at those numbers, if you've tried to register a domain name, you may be stuck with someone only insiders might remember, and not easy for outsiders (such as prospective customers or visitors) to remember.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which regulates the domain suffixes, is opening up the extensions, with many more possibilities. Some would be exclusively for a corporation, such as .apple for (of course) Apple Computers, or .amazon for Amazon.com.

But others would be opened up for the general public. For example 2 organizations are vying for the use of .church, which they would re-sell to the public. So Uptown Baptist Church could go from www.UptownBaptistChurch.org to the easier-to-remember www.Uptown.church (and in the process drop the "Baptist" if they desired to not emphasize that part of their name).

The website rt.com has an excellent article which explains the possible extensions that have been applied for.
 There are 2000 suffixes that have been applied for, with each application costing over $185,000.

Ryan Faughnder of Tribune Newspapers wrote an excellent article regarding the status of these domain extension at the end of June. It is found here --> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-internet-overseers-20120628,0,5690285.story 

We at Do-Gooder Consulting want to keep things simple, so our web site is simply do.gooder.us 
Because we know that confuses people, we will advertise the web site as www.do-gooder.us , as people also (falsely) equate all website names as starting with www.




Please contact us at Do-Gooder Consulting, and we can help your organization get set up with a web domain name that fits your needs and resources.

Even if you are not quite ready for a website, contact us so we can help you be on the cutting edge when domains become available, such as a possible .church suffix.

This article is copyright 2012 by Do-Gooder Consulting. Please contact us if you would like to reproduce it on your blog or newspaper.

Illinois College Access Network Mini-Conference on July 26. 2012

The Illinois College Access Network (IllinoisCAN) is hosting a mini-conference at North Park University.

If you have been to one of IllinoisCAN's quartely meetings, you know they do a great job.

This is a FREE event, but you need to sign up AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Monday, July 16 , is the deadline.

In addition to networking opportunities , you will have the choice of 9 workshops, which can be applicable to other aspects of your organization, in addition to access to college for your youth.


Here's the agenda for the mini-conference:

                                                                                  

                                             

2012 Illinois College Access

3^rd Annual Mini-Conference

Thursday, July 26, 2012

8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Click Here to RSVP by Monday, July 16, 2012

Track 1	Direct Service Provider Topics
Track 2	Executive/Managerial Topics
Track 3	Development/Fund Raising Topics

8:00 – 8:30	Registration and Best Practices Gallery (Auditorium Foyer)
8:30 – 8:50	Welcome and Opening Remarks (Auditorium)
9:00 – 10:00	Navigating The Transition to College	Mindfulness & Meditation for Leadership and Success	Donors Forum 101
10:15 – 11:15	Secrets of College Admissions	Maximizing Your Day: The Power of Effective  Time Management	Effective Networking Strategies
11:30 – 12:30	Effective Parent Engagement	The Art of Effective Public Speaking	Advancing Your Mission With Special Events
12:30 – 1:00	Best Practices Gallery The purpose of the gallery is to share materials and tools with fellow organizations to extend the reach, impact and success of the Illinois College Access Network’s membership. (Auditorium Foyer)
1:00 – 2:00	Lunch and Keynote Address (Auditorium)

Conference Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 am            Breakfast and Registration

8:30 – 8:50 am            Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:00 – 10:00 am          Session I

10:15 – 11:15 am        Session II

11:30 – 12:30 pm        Session III

12:30 - 1:00 pm          Best Practices Gallery

1:00 – 2:00 pm              Lunch and Keynote Address

Click Here to RSVP by Monday, July 16, 2012

North Park University * 3225 W Foster Avenue * Chicago, Illinois

JP Paulus is a CCDA workshop presenter!

The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) recently approved Do-Gooder Consulting's JP Paulus as a workshop presenter for the CCDA's 2012 National Conference.

The workshop is entitled "Steps 2 College", and will help articulate the college-going process in four steps (the KnowHow2Go campaign's 4 Steps). The listing for all workshops is here.

The CCDA Conference is September 26-30 and will be held this year in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis Hilton and Convention Center).

If you are planning on coming to the workshop, please let us know with a comment here, or e-mail us at workshop@do-gooder.us

Please let us know what state you are in, so we can better tailor the information to fit your needs.

If you can't make it, or would like an expanded version of the workshop, please contact us at workshop@do-gooder.us or calling us at 872-222-8008 for details.

Look forward to seeing you at CCDA!

FREE College Changes Everything conference is July 12

The College Changes Everything Conference is coming soon, and it can change how YOU can help bring your youth to college (and graduate!).

This FREE conference is on Thursday, July 12. It starts at 8am and runs until 3:30pm, with free continental breakfast and lunch. The event takes place at the Tinley Park Convention Center.

According to the conference's web page:

Attend this one day conference that focuses on effective practices and showcases resources available to help with college access and increasing college completion. The conference brings together a diverse audience from across the state: college access practitioners; high school leaders, counselors and case managers; college and university leaders and administrators; and policymakers interested in higher education.

Sessions presented by state and national leaders will provide purposeful information and engage the audience in thoughtful discussions on the serious issues we face, such as:

• College and Career Readiness
• Retention Success
• Skill Sets for 21st Century Jobs
• Expanding Students Pursuit of STEM Fields
• Dual Credit and Dual Degree Programs
• Remediation Success
• Common Core Standards and College Access
• And more

The forum will include time for sharing best practices with peers to help participants walk away with plans for moving their access and completion efforts forward. Come ready to share and learn.

Registration has already started, and you should go ahead and click on this link to register. Last Year, registration closed weeks before the conference, so time is of the essence..

Click here for more information on the conference.

This event is sponsored by KnowHow2GoIllinois and organized by

• Lt. Governor’s Office
• Illinois Student Assistance Commission
• Illinois Board of Higher Education
• Illinois Community College Board
• Illinois State Board of Education
• Women Employed
• Illinois College Access Network
• Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities

If you are not able to go to the conference, or would like personalized coaching for your staff, Do-Gooder Consulting can help provide it. We specialize in helping youth ministries integrate this information with their theological framework. Contact us at college@do-gooder.us for more information.

Reload Chicago coming March 24, 2012 - with Soong Chan Rah!

See the end of the post for Do-Gooder Consulting's take on the Reload conference.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The date has been set! Reload Chicago 2012 will be held on Saturday, March 24th. We are also excited to announce our morning speaker will be Soong-Chan Rah....you don't want to miss it!

What: Reload Chicago
When: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Where: North Park University
Who: Any Christian working with youth: youth pastor, volunteer, student
How Much: $25 (Saturday only) ($40 for 2 Day Justice Summit along with Reload)
For more information, see the Reload Chicago 2012 page or contact Ailson Burkhardt at cyms@northpark.edu or 773-224-1000

The morning speaker for Reload  is Professor Soong-Chan Rah.  Rev. Dr.  Rah is a leader in racial reconciliation  and is Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL and the author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity (IVP Books, 2009).

Pastor Harvey Carey closes out Reload.



Stay tuned for more information on early registration discounts.
Mark your calendars now!

For those who don't know, Reload has been going on for several years. It is a 1 day conference for Urban Youth workers, set in cities throughout the US and Canada.  It is sponsored nationally by the Urban Youth Workers Institute. Locally in Chicago, North Park University's Center for Youth Ministry Studies has been at teh forefront of Reload.


If you have been touched by the KingdomWorks/CompassionWorks conferences that were annual events in Philadelphia and other cities in the 1990's, then you will appreciate Reload


.
I have perosnally been blessed by it.


Note,this year's Reload is in collaboration with North Park University's North Park Justice Summit happening on Friday. Many Reload attendees will also participate in the Summit. One of the featured speakers for the summit is Dr. Cornel West.


I encourage you all to attend.

Get your taxes - and FAFSA - done for FREE

There are 2 organizations offering tax and FAFSA assistance in the city of Chicago: The Center for Economic Progress and Ladder Up.


The Center for Economic Progress is offering to do taxes for free for families with less than a $50,000 income ($25,000 for individuals).


There are 6 locations throughout the city of Chicago., and many more in the Chicagoland area.


If you haven't done the FAFSA, or want to update it with new tax information,  CEP is a great place to do it!


Even if you feel like you didn't have an income, it would be wise to make a visit and find out for sure.(Those on unemployment MUST still fill out taxes!)

Thanks to Stephen Thurston II of New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church for the above graphic

The Ladder Up organization  is offering to do taxes for free for families with less than a $45,000 income ($20,000 for individuals). They have separate locations for taxes (through their TAP = Tax Assistance Program)  and for FAFSA help, through their LIFT program. Ladder Up has partnered with experts from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission in the past, and is a great resource for families to fill out the FAFSA.

Remember what we said about the FAFSA and our  warning about the FAFSA: do it as soon as possible. If you can do your taxes now, then you can do the FAFSA at the same time (with Center for Economic Progress). If you aren't ready to do your taxes, then at least do the FAFSA! 

Do-Gooder Consulting also provides an affordable year-long consulting service for your organization that includes 3 seminars (The Financial Aid Process – for families; The College Going Process – for youth workers; FAFSA workshop – for families).

Contact us at college@do-gooder.us or call us at 872-222-8008 for details on the free and paid services. We look forward to hearing from you. Find out more about us at www.do-gooder.us