La Voz

De Anza and Foothill Colleges are joining in a national campaign to fight poverty.

In the Santa Clara County, roughly 120,000 families are living below the poverty line. Dr. Martha Kanter, De Anza and Foothill Community Collegs' District Chancellor, is one of the leaders of the discussion on poverty relief in support of education for this region.

This national campaign is being facilitated by Catholic Charities. The goal is to reduce poverty by half by 2020. To accomplish this, Catholic Charities has asked communities to come together and work as a unit in combating poverty. "We all look on this problem from our individual perspectives," said Kanter.

"And what they're trying to do is bring us together so we can plan and put our resources together."

An economic impact study done in 2005 showed that $1 in each credit earned at De Anza or Foothill generates a $1.88 in the local economy.

The average expected lifetime earnings for a graduate with an associate's degree is $1.6 million, which is about $400,000 more than what a high school graduate earns.

"Families should know that financial aid and scholarships are available and that higher education is open to them," said Kanter.

This year, one in five De Anza students received financial aid, but many low-income families aren't aware of how to apply. "We want to spread the information of obtainable resources to the community," said Kanter.

"Many do not realize they can get a Cal grant or Pell grant. Those are available for people who meet the income requirements."

Kanter and others are also lobbying in Sacramento and in Washington to get the Dream Act passed. The Dream Act allows illegal immigrant students access to the residency fees that California residents use.

"By 2020, I hope we will have done our part to help families to attain self-sufficiency. I hope people will understand how important education is to people of all ages," said Kanter.

To apply for financial aid, students can visit http://www.deanza.edu/financialaid/ or go to the Financial Aid office in the Campus Center.

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