Committee Updates

2004-2005 Committee Chairs |Awareness Committee Update
Membership Committee Update

2004-2005 Committee Chairs

Awareness Committee

Awareness Committee Exhibitors at VHEA Annual Conference

Members of the Awareness Committee served as VASFAA exhibitors at the Virginia Home Education Association (VHEA) annual conference on August 27 – 28 held at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, VA. The conference, attended by approximately 300 families, is the annual gathering of home school students. The conference planning committee and attendees were eager to learn all they could about the services available to them through VASFAA and the financial aid programs available in Virginia for home schooled students.

The VASFAA booth was manned by Henrietta Anderson (Beta Tech – West) and Linda H. Woodley (SCHEV), Awareness Committee chair. Over 120 families visited the booth seeking information on VASFAA and financial aid. The committee members emphasized the services offered by VASFAA, including the speakers’ bureau, the on-line financial aid assistance, and the guidance counselor workshops held each year. The conference attendees were most excited about Super Saturday, scheduled for Saturday, January 29, 2005. They were eager to get free, professional assistance in completing the FAFSA.

Belinda Hill (University of Richmond) represented VASFAA on a panel that discussed college and the home schooled student. Belinda addressed several admissions and financial aid related questions, particularly about Virginia graduation requirements, minimum admission requirements for Virginia colleges, Virginia and federal financial aid programs and the priority filing dates of Virginia colleges and universities. The conference attendees were pleased to see that most of this information was available in the Opportunities publication each received.

Hope Jackson with ECMC designed the VASFAA exhibit booth. She included a hand-drawn lighthouse keeping with VASFAA’s theme for this year. Conference attendees were given the 2003-04 Opportunities along with a flyer telling them how to request the 2004-05 version when it becomes available in mid-September, which is co-sponsored by VASFAA, SCHEV and ECMC. They also received several U.S. Department of Education publications and hand-outs providing them with websites to obtain information on college admissions, financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

The conference planners were very happy to have VASFAA represented at their conference and commented that they hope that this is the beginning of a new partnership for both groups. Special thanks go out to Henrietta Anderson, Belinda Hill and Hope Jackson for all they did to make this exhibit possible.

Membership Committee

Registration has begun!! Thank you to everyone who has already registered. Once again, you can register to be a VASFAA member at www.vasfaa.org

Although our annual conference is not until May 2005, we are asking members to complete their membership now. In addition, please encourage new staff members to become involved in the association. Remember, we are VASFAA. And don’t forget, in order to serve on a committee, you must be a paid VASFAA member.

As the year progresses, we’ll continue to update you on membership and the annual conference.

Submitted by Chairs: Michael Poma and Leslie Thomas