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A believer in the Lord’s teachings, Shani Jackson wants her daughter to see the light. Mom willingly provides for 10-year-old Ciani’s Christian education, despite the financial burden.
Since Jackson pays $4,100 a year so her daughter can attend the Beulah Baptist Christian School in West Philly, funds for a house or car are nonexistent. Until recently, she would travel five days a week by bus to pick up Ciani after school; it took more than two hours round trip.
"Sometimes, I have to choose whether to buy a cart full of groceries or to pay for schooling," Jackson, of 20th and South Juniper streets, added.
But Mom has found a savior through a special scholarship fund that gave $500 towards Ciani’s recent tuition bill. It is the only financial aid the student is receiving.
Incorporated in 2002, the Faith First Educational Assistance Corp. has distributed more than $100,000 through 300 scholarships, predominantly to students in the Philadelphia area attending Christian schools. While giving parents a helping hand, Faith First also promotes options outside the public school realm.
For Jackson, paying the tuition bill is now a little easier. "Money is always tight," she said. "Without the scholarship from Faith First, I don’t know how I would do it."
Alberta C. Wilson, the national corporation’s founder, wants to secure more than dollars for local youths. She is trying to safeguard them from life’s temptations — something the former resident of the 1600 block of Ellsworth Street is all too familiar with.
After dropping out of high school and indulging in partying, Wilson’s first child was born at age 17. She was part of a lifestyle that "was evidently going to trap me, but I came out of that and was able to help children to not let that be their fate."
Wilson decided to take classes to obtain her GED, but tragedy struck in 1977 when her daughter died in a house fire. Wilson pushed through her grief and continued to strive for her educational goal. After getting married, she spent 10 years in Virginia earning three degrees, including a doctorate.
But, "God had been burdening my heart to go back to Philadelphia and give back," Wilson, now living in Virginia, said.
In ’97, she called her pastor — and former teacher — at the Beulah Baptist Church in Philadelphia to see if there were any local openings for a principal. Since the church wanted to expand its daycare into a school, Wilson was in luck.
She headed the school for five years, but resigned after parents’ "burdens" became too much to bear.
"The parents would have to take their kids out because they couldn’t afford it," Wilson said. "I would write off tuition sometimes because I didn’t want to lose the child."
Running for mayor seemed like the only way Wilson could free up funds for such institutions — that is, until she discovered Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit. Implemented in ’01, this program awards credits to businesses that make contributions to scholarship organizations and educational-improvement organizations.
Such credits can equal 75 percent of a Pennsylvania business’ contribution, up to $200,000 per taxable year. The amount can increase to 90 percent if the business supplies the same amount within two consecutive years.
"Not enough businesses know about it so they can make a difference … and make education the quality that it needs to be," Wilson said.
With big and small contributions from a slew of businesses, Faith First was born. It has offices in Northeast Philly and Virginia and has awarded scholarships to students in the two states.
Wawa provided one of the first grants, totaling $5,000. After matching it, Faith First distributed 16 scholarships at $500 apiece — the average amount awarded to students.
Eighty percent of the money typically is for scholarships, while the remainder funds the corporation’s operations. There are about 15 primary donors — those giving more than $1,000 — on board that designate funds to their schools of choice.
Scholarship applicants must pass a screening process and meet income requirements. Faith First has a list of businesses and foundations that support specific schools, while needy students in other institutions are linked with undesignated donors.
The corporation only secures scholarships for Christian school scholars, but has "parent engagement meetings" twice a month to help families of other religions in their search for financial support.
"The Gospel, the Good News, is what changes lives. I am a witness of that," Wilson said. "When I was born again, my life changed. Am I perfect? No, I am not. Far from it. But I do have standards and rules in my life. I believe that if it can happen in my life, it can happen in others’ lives."
Marina Roadcloud of the 2100 block of Latona Street received her first Faith First scholarship this year for her daughter, Sasha, totaling $500. Instilling religion into her child’s curriculum is important to the resident, which is why Sasha attends Calvary Temple Christian Academy, 3301 S. 20th St.
"The way the world is today, they need it right now," Roadcloud said of religion. "They need to know who God is and what He does and, in doing that, it’s studying His word and praying every day."
Mirroring comments of all parents interviewed, Roadcloud said she would make additional sacrifices to keep her child in the school — even without scholarship support.
Extraneous shopping and traveling are not in store for Felicia Wessels, whose daughter Charisma and son Sincere attend Breath of Life Christian Academy, 1638 S. Sixth St. However, she feels lucky to get a financial break with the $500 deducted from Charisma’s tuition.
Refusing to enroll her kids in public school, Wessels, a product of a Christian education, is last in line when it comes to her kids.
"I put me aside for them," she said.
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For more information on the Faith First Educational Assistance Corp., visit www.faithschoice.org or call 215-624-1716.
