An Uphill Battle Becomes Even Steeper for African-American College Students

by guest blogger
Lisa Tucker, mother of two

As a professional, college-educated African-American woman, I can attest to the importance of an education – particularly a college education. What education has afforded me is unparalleled. And as a mother, I wish the same – if not more – for my two sons. For generations, like many other African-American families, education ranked alongside our faith as two crowning testaments of our way of life. This school year marks a monumental milestone for my eldest son, a graduating senior in high school who will be beginning his first year of college in the fall of 2012. However with the rapidly increasing costs of college and so much financial uncertainty gripping our country, we wonder if we’ll be financially equipped to meet these demands after his first year of college.

Sadly, this is the paradigm facing a number of families right now. So many college students of color are confronted with perhaps the toughest choice of their young lives: for some it’s “do I attend college or not”, and for others, “do I stay enrolled or drop out”. Persistent funding deficits, a struggling economy, and significant tuition increases have created an “imperfect” storm for many students, and African-American students are particularly vulnerable. In fact, two-thirds of African-Americans who drop out of college cite finances as the reason for the decision. Couple this with congressional efforts to deepen cuts to federal aid and loans (low-interest Federal Stafford Loans and the Pell Grant) and today’s Black college students face seemingly insurmountable odds.

That's why Allstate is raising funds to benefit The Tom Joyner Foundation and provide much-needed scholarship dollars to assist African-American Students through the Quotes for Education program. Here’s how the program works, Allstate will donate $10 to The Tom Joyner Foundation for every insurance quote (auto, renters, homeowners and more), up to $200,000.

The Tom Joyner Foundation's primary mission is to help keep students enrolled in Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and since 1998, the Foundation has raised more than $60 million that has assisted more than 14,000 students and benefited more than 100 HBCUs.

Supporting Quotes for Education is as simple as Click or Call and Quote:
• Click - Go to www.allstate.com/quotesforeducation to find a participating Allstate agent near you or get a quote online
• Call - Allstate at 866-998-2188 to speak to an Allstate representative any time, day or night
• Quote - Receive any insurance quote from Allstate through December, 31, 2011

You can get involved and support this worthwhile cause to help our students stay the course and get their degrees!