Howard University Gets $100,000 Donation From Church To Pay Off Student Debts

As reported by NPR, Alfred Street Baptist Church has just made a rich donation of a $100,000 to Howard University paying the debts of 34 students who owed sums ranging from $100 to over $3,000. The Typical Student team learned the details. 

How "Financial Fast" Helps Students In Debt

On the last weekend of January, Alfred Street Baptist Church asked its parishioners to donate the money they had saved during the “financial fast”. NPR reports that the members of the parish weren't told what their money would fund. Neither did they know, the funds raised by the parish would go back into the community. Over the weekend, the church raised $150,000 in its four services.

How Much Money Did Alfred Street Baptist Church Raise?

Later, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, the pastor of Alfred Street, made an announcement of how the money would be distributed saying that the $100,000 donation would go to Howard. Another $50,000 would go to the Bennett College, a historically-black women's college in Greensboro, N.C. Earlier it was announced that Bennett had raised $8.2 million for its accreditation restoration. 

In Atlanta, Georgia State University has started a program providing "micro grants" to students in need. At GSU, 72% percent of bachelor's degree-seeking students experience some extent of financial difficulty. As of now, GSU provides small grants of $300 to support students in their desire to graduate. According to the research, 86% of student recipients of these small grants have gone on to graduate.