College-bound get help with financial aid

PUHI — Parents and students heading to college got free help Sunday during the College Goal 808 program held at the Kauai Community College One Stop Center.

Sponsored by the Pacific Financial Aid Association and the Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling, the program offered free help in completing the online Free Application for Student Aid form.

“It’s good that the forms are online,” said one volunteer who was working with parents at the One Stop Center’s computer classroom. “It was a big job when it was on paper.”

Isaiah Kaauwai, another volunteer helping with the flow of parents and students, said this is the second year the workshop was offered at KCC.

“We used to have it at the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School cafeteria when Frances Dinan used to coordinate it,” Kaauwai said. “But now that the application is online, we need the computers and Kauai Community College is generous to offer the use of its computers to the parents and students.”

Jeff Anderson of the KCC Financial Aid office said there were two sessions scheduled for Sunday, accommodating more than 40 families.

“Completing the FAFSA forms is the first step in getting the student financial aid available for a student,” said Frank Green, co-chair of College Goal 808, being offered at 18 different workshops on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu. “Experienced financial aid officers and high school counselors will be volunteering their time to help students and families complete the online FAFSA forms.”

Roxanne Carvalho, a volunteer with the KCC Financial Aid office, said students did not need to attend, or plan to attend, KCC in order to get help at the College Goal 808 workshop.

Funding for the free workshops is derived from USA Funds, the Hawaii Community Foundation and GEAR UP Hawaii.

Visit www.collegegoal808.org for more information.