ISAC Gives Financial Guidance at Little Village Town Hall Meeting

Avanzando con la Comunidad to air on Univision and TeleFutura this Saturday and Sunday

CHICAGO— Chicago Spanish-language broadcast television stations Univision Channel 66 and TeleFutura Channel 60 will air a one-hour town hall meeting on financial literacy this Saturday, February 7th at 10 a.m. on Univision and on Sunday, February 8th at 6 a.m. on TeleFutura. The town halls will feature college savings advice from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

The program, part of Univision’s "Avanzando con la Comunidad" (Advancing with the Community) initiative, was taped January 24 at Chicago’s Little Village High School and allowed residents the opportunity to have their college financial aid questions answered by ISAC Professional Development Specialist Maria Bucio as others answered additional financial questions. More than 550 people attended the event.

"Our mission at ISAC is to smash barriers to college for every high school student in our diverse state," said Andrew Davis, ISAC Executive Director. "We know that many parents strongly support their children’s college dreams but often lack the ‘college-knowledge’ to navigate the process. Applying to college and seeking financial aid is tough in any language, and we salute and support Univision and TeleFutura on this outreach initiative."

The program is hosted by Paula Gomez, who serves as panel moderator, while Enrique Rodriguez interacts with the audience.

"Our Univision Chicago town hall initiative was created to bring much needed information to Latinos in the Chicagoland area via presentations and question and answer sessions that address issues of education, financial literacy, access to health care and the DTV conversion," said Vincent Cordero, Vice President and General Manager of Univision and TeleFutura Chicago. "In addition to the unique opportunity that the town halls provide to the record breaking audiences in attendance, the town halls are taped and air as one-hour televised specials, 'Avanzando con la Comunidad' on both Univision and TeleFutura Chicago. We are proud of the public service the town halls provide and proud to partner with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to bring valuable information regarding college financing to our community."

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education.

A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to post-secondary education with innovative programs for more than 50 years. Last year alone, ISAC continued its mission to make college affordable for Illinois students by issuing 185,000 grants and scholarships totaling more than $448 million.

The Commission coordinates educational funding with student loans, as a loan guarantor and via numerous public programs such as the successful Monetary Award Program (MAP), the Illinois Veteran Grant and College Illinois!SM the Commission’s groundbreaking 529 prepaid college tuition program. Students and families have free access to a wealth of financial aid and college planning information at ISAC’s family of websites available at: www.knowhow2GOIllinois.org.

About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education and/or training. Each year, the Commission awards an estimated $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students, and also provides an additional $740 million to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative loans, a 529 prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois!, and a broad array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families have access to the information they need to pay for a college education. More information is available by calling toll-free 800.899.ISAC (4722) or visiting the agency’s Web site at www.collegezone.com.