Ashley Delatour, Christina Winstead, and Bre Olason before the Whatcom County Financial Aid training event
When we issued a call to action for community members to help students complete their FAFSA and WASFA, we didn’t know what to expect. But our community answered with incredible heart and dedication.
Over the last week, 148 community members stepped up to take part in our Financial Aid Training sessions, including 90 in Whatcom County, 41 in Skagit County, and 17 in WSAC’s virtual training. These volunteers included educators, school staff, college partners, nonprofit leaders, and caring community members from more than 30 schools, colleges, and organizations across Whatcom and Skagit Counties, all working together to ensure every student has the guidance they need to access college and career opportunities.
Now, we’re looking for more volunteers to continue this important work during our upcoming FAFSA/WASFA virtual completion events from October through December.
Register as a volunteer for a FAFSA/WASFA Completion Event here!
Christina Winstead shares her expertise at the Financial Aid training event at Skagit Valley Colege
This diverse network represents exactly what makes our region so special: people and organizations from every corner of the community coming together to ensure students have a fair shot at pursuing education, training, and opportunity after graduation.
With recent state budget cuts reducing access to one-on-one financial aid guidance, this effort has never been more important. Each trained participant is now equipped to support students and families through the FAFSA and WASFA process to create a ripple effect across Northwest Washington.
A huge thank-you goes out to our partners, including the Washington Student Achievement Council, College Success Foundation, Skagit Valley College (SVC), and Whatcom Community College (WCC) for helping make these events possible. Shout out to our friends at Bellingham Technical College (BTC) for this brilliant idea and for sending your teams to both events.
And an even bigger thank-you to every single person who showed up, learned, and committed to helping others. You are the reason more students will be able to access the financial aid they deserve.
Sign up to volunteer at a FAFSA/WASFA event today to help us continue the impact!