Helping Me Continue At Ithaca College
Dear friends and family,
I am going back to college!!
Between the help I've received from all of you, plus new help from family members, I am now able to return to Ithaca College! It's hard for me to explain how much I appreciate all of your help... or how excited I am.
I am leaving this donation page up with the hope that I can raise more money to offset school costs during this coming year. Any help you offer... even $25... is greatly appreciated!
Here's the rest of the story.
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As many of you probably know, my family has always
struggled with finances. Dealing with the up's and down's of money has
always been a part of my life.
I have been lucky enough to
attend Ithaca College over the past year and a half and have grown and
learned more than I could have ever hoped to in this time. Being a
college student has given me valuable lessons which I will never forget,
and has so far provided me with a direction in my life that I am proud
to be following.
Unfortunately, as we all know, college in America is not cheap.
During
my fall semester of this past year, a number of events took place which
forced me to withdraw at the end of that semester. My fathers business
closed down, and my mother had a serious accident which rendered her
disabled and unemployed. I was not able to go back for my spring
semester. Since this time, my father has been trying to pay the leftover
bill from the fall semester. Ithaca has given me a time limit of July
1st to pay off this remaining amount, otherwise I will not be able to
return for my upcoming fall semester.
My family is doing
everything possible to pay off this bill, but it looks unlikely that we
will be able to pay it in full by this date. After trying many different
options, I have come up with nothing but dead ends, and so I am now
forced to go out into my community and ask for you help.
If you
know me at all, you probably know I am very uncomfortable asking anyone
for any amount of money, let alone accepting money as a gift. It pains
me to have to resort to asking for donations, but at this point, my
education is worth my discomfort.
I am asking for any amount you
can spare to help me continue on in my education. Whether it be $1, or
$100, anything will help me reach this goal by the 1st of July.
I
know that many of you are students just like me, or perhaps part of a
family dealing with financial challenges. I am hoping that you can
understand how difficult it is for me to ask for help like this, and how
much it would mean to me to continue on in my education.
My family and I will appreciate anything you can give, and will
remember it forever. Please don't hesitate to pass this message along to
friends or someone you may know who would be willing to help as well. Spread it across the world!
Please contact me if you have any questions or just want to talk. I can use any and all support right now. I want to mention that this is a one time donation, and that once i am back in school, my financial aid will come into place and this should not be a problem again.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear from you soon.
Ilana Miller
