Assemblywoman Yamada announces free cash for college workshops

Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, D-Davis, is hosting two Cash for College Workshops to help students apply for Cal Grants and other financial aid for college. The Cash for College program is a partnership with the California Student Aid Commission, the Sacramento Cal-SOAP Consortium, Woodland Community College, UC Davis Early Academic Outreach Program and local volunteers.

“We want to help families overcome financial barriers to their higher education goals. A Cal Grant can be the first step in making a quality education more affordable,” Assemblywoman Yamada said. “That’s why we’re sponsoring workshops to help students and parents complete their financial aid forms.”

The Cal Grant Program provides qualified individuals with up to $12,192 in aid per year to attend almost any college in California. Awards vary depending on economic need, grades and the college a student attends. Cal Grants are available to high school seniors, recent graduates and individuals returning to college. The deadline to apply for a Cal Grant is March 2. To find out more about Cal Grant eligibility requirements, visit www.calgrants.org.

Cash for College Workshops will have trained volunteers and financial aid experts on hand to assist students and their families in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the Cal Grant GPA Verification form. New for 2013: volunteers will be trained to assist students and their families filing for Cal Grants under the California Dream Act. To find out more about the California Dream Act, visit www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp. Students will also have an opportunity to complete an exit survey to enter into a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship provided by the California Student Aid Commission.

The first workshop is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Woodland Community College, Room 800, 2300 E. Gibson Road.

Before attending, students and parents must visit www.pin.ed.gov to obtain a FAFSA Personal Identification Number.

Those applying for financial aid must bring the following reference information — if they have these documents — to the workshop to receive assistance: driver’s license, Social Security card or number, alien registration number, theirs or their parents’ Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, their 2012 income information, parents’ 2012 income information, their tax and parent tax information; previous year taxes are okay for now if 2012 tax information is unavailable, 2012 bank statements, any records of untaxed income such as welfare benefits, Social Security benefits, or child support payments, and a list of colleges they are interested in attending.

For questions about the workshops or to find out how to become a Cash for College volunteer,  call 707-455-8025 or visit http://www.assembly.ca.gov/yamada. For additional workshops in the region, please visit www.calgrants.org/workshops.