In 2005, when Ileanna Arispuro was in fifth grade, a friend told her about a program sponsored by Arizona Quest for Kids.
The deal was, Arizona Quest for Kids would pay Arispuro’s college tuition if she kept her grades and attendance up. Arispuro joined and they set her up with a big sister who helped Arispuro with her schoolwork to keep her GPA high.
Four years later, in November, Arispuro was told Arizona Quest for Kids would not be able to pay for her tuition. In a two-hour meeting, Quest for Kids explained to Arispuro and the other students in attendance that they did not have the money they had promised to the students for their tuition.
They did however pledge to work with students who still wanted to remain in the program and would assist them in filling out college and financial applications.
Arizona Quest for Kids is a non profit organization that prepares students for higher education, according to Dana Carroll, the executive director. They pair students with mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson – like the one they provided Arispuro – and strive to provide a support system “that isn’t a family member,” Carroll said.
In addition, Carroll said they teach students how to interview for jobs and teach time-management skills. They also teach parents about the college process and work with high school seniors on college applications.
In previous years, Carroll said a high percentage of high school seniors in the program have gone to college and secured over $200,000 in funding. But this year, “the economy has been very hard for us.”
Carroll said decreased donations coupled with new restrictions on how the organization secures funds led to their decision to not guarantee tuition to students.
Carroll said the donations the company receives annually are down 40 percent from last year. Also, as of July 2008, the organization could no longer apply for certain grants if the money was going to a scholarship endowment fund, which is exactly the type of fund Arizona Quest for Kids works with.
Based on these circumstances, Quest for Kids decided in September they would no longer guarantee tuition to students, now or in the future. The decision affected the roughly 400 students in the program, most of them in grades 6 to 12.
“The best way we can fix this is to continue to work with them and try to find them the money [in other ways],” Carroll said. She wanted to stress that her organization, along with Big Brothers Big Sisters, are doing everything they can to make sure their students still go to school.
Recently, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson set up a fund at the Southern Arizona Community Bank to help raise money for the students who are currently in the program.
Arispuro, now a junior at Pueblo High School, isn’t so sure she wants to continue. Arispuro said she has until Dec. 15 to fill out and sign a new contract to remain in the program.
“I want to work with them, but I want them to keep the promise they made,” she said.
