Help Young People with their Vocational Careers

For over twenty-five years we operated, first as “John Marshall Dollars for Scholars” and then as “Bright Future Dollars for Scholars.” Over that time we enabled hundreds of students who were not thriving in the standard, college-prep, comprehensive high school environment to chart their own paths to rewarding careers and financial stability through vocational training. 

Newly independent as Career and Education Access, we continue to meet students where they are and provide just-in-time support to overcome the unforeseen obstacles that can derail students from their track to success.

Our unique approach is to provide just-in-time support when a student with few resources encounters a potentially career-ending financial challenge. Often what might be a modest expense for many of us is actually insurmountable for a student operating on a shoestring budget. By intervening quickly, within 24-48 hours, we are able to keep a student on course and prevent a break in their training that might cause them to abandon their plan altogether.

We provide funds for a wide range of immediate needs, such as: money to buy lab gowns of progressively increasing sizes for an expectant mother,  program-mandated dental  lab kits costing $2,150,  a second round of forklift training for a student with an anxiety disorder to build their confidence, a front-end alignment for a student to be able to drive to school, tutoring support, child care assistance, and many more urgent critical needs.

All contributions to CEA are applied go to students. We have modest administrative expenses which are covered by our board members’ annual dues. All operations are accomplished by our unpaid board volunteers.

By giving to CEA you can have a direct impact on a student’s success.”