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Grant to expand program for students from foster care

Nov. 26, 2008

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University is one of six recipients statewide of an up to $6,000 grant to help projects for disadvantaged youth. The Michigan Campus Compact Brighter Futures grant will help expand training and outreach in WMU's efforts to help students from foster care.

The "Foster Youth Journey to University Success" project currently addresses the academic needs of these students. With help from the grant, WMU's Foster Youth and Higher Education Initiative will partner with Southwest Children's Trauma Assessment Center, Kalamazoo County Department of Human Services and Disabled Student Resources and Services at WMU to expand current programming to include learning assessment and services for students who have aged out of foster care, campuswide training for faculty and staff about obstacles to higher education that are faced by foster youth and outreach to young people still living in the foster care system.

The total project will involve WMU students from foster care, reach more than 200 faculty and staff through training and up to 36 youth currently in foster care through outreach.

The annual grant program is administered through Michigan Campus Compact, a coalition of college and university presidents, and funding is received from Learn and Serve America. For more information visit www.micampuscompact.org or contact Michelle Snitgen at msnitgen@micampuscompact.org or (517) 492-2439. For more information on WMU's Foster Youth Journey to University Success project, contact Yvonne Unrau at yvonne.unrau@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3185.

Media contact: Deanne Molinari, (269) 387-8400, deanne.molinari@wmich.edu

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