ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604120002
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
Rubijean Jones' daughter, Danielle, was almost too smart for her own good. Her high school grades were excellent, but in 1988, when she was ready to graduate and it came time to hand out the college scholarships, she was passed over every time.
"She was a very good student. They assumed somebody [else] would give her a scholarship," Jones said.
Determined that her daughter would find the money somewhere, Jones spent hours in the public library, looking for sources for funds. She also tried combing through a computer program at her daughter's school, but "it was really outdated" and not very helpful.
She eventually located a full four-year scholarship to the University of Virginia for Danielle, but she also realized that for all her efforts, she had only scraped the tip of the iceberg.
"The scholarships are out there," she said, but many parents don't even know where to start looking. Often, they turn to school guidance offices, which "do a great job, but they can't reach people individually," she said.
Frustrated by her experience and faced with the same problem with her younger daughter, Latoya, Jones played with the idea of starting a scholarship search service for several years.
"I knew there were other parents like me," she said.
In January, Jones opened EDL Financial Aids and Personal Services, working evenings and weekends out of a spare bedroom in her home. By mid-March, she had completed searches for more than a dozen clients.
Jones said she knew there were other businesses like hers, but some of them "had gotten a bad name" when the computer programs they relied upon were either incomplete or the companies that provided them went out of business.
At a cost of $7,000, Jones invested in Financial Aid for College, a national database with more than 150,000 sources. It is updated weekly and has been in existence for 20 years. The program is so comprehensive that local libraries have contacted her for information, she said.
For $50, Jones said, each client receives a personalized report, listing the addresses, requirements and deadlines for the scholarships the student might qualify for.
The search begins with a personalized survey each family fills out. It asks about the family's interests and activities, and social, civic and religious affiliations, any of which may lead to a scholarship, loan, fellowship, internship or grant. In the case of a loan, the report also will compare payment plans for each program.
Included in the packet are a listing of awards the student can apply for, profiles on selected colleges and universities, a sample contact letter and a checklist of things to do. For an additional fee, Jones will prepare contact letters and assist in the application process.
Often, parents think that because their income is too high or their child's grades are too low, they could never qualify for a scholarship, Jones said, but there are programs that are not based on need or scholastic ability.
"An average student is just as likely to find help as an advanced one is," she said.
For instance, Jones said, she has asthma, and although it is well-controlled and not debilitating, her family qualified for a small scholarship for children of handicapped parents.
Some parents overlook small scholarships, Jones said, but if a family can find enough of them, it's possible to pay for an education in "bits and pieces." If nothing else, she said, the extra money can go toward transportation costs, books and other expenses not covered by a large scholarship.
In addition, Jones offers a service that lets a family convert a mortgage into a bi-weekly payment plan without refinancing or changing lenders. The equity earned is tax-deductible, she said, and because the mortgage is paid off 10 to 15 years early, the money saved can be used to finance a child's education.
Jones, who attended college on a scholarship herself, said running her business "gives me a sense of fulfillment." She hopes to help out young people who want a higher education, but are afraid to ask for it because they think their parents can't afford it.
"College is not for everyone," she said, "but it should be for those who want to go."
EDL Financial Services
366-5731
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