Two years ago, a nonprofit organization known simply as 101 held its annual fundraising dinner in Princeton University’s Cannon Club. At the dinner, a young woman put tears in the eyes of attendees when she gave a speech thanking 101 for the college scholarship that it had granted to her.
She told those assembled that the scholarship was about more than just the money she would receive: it also filled her with gratitude, knowing that the people of Princeton really cared about her and her ability to succeed.
In the middle of the event, the award recipient—who is not being identified because of the need-based nature of the award—stood on a chair to read her speech.
“Everybody stopped and listened,” said Elizabeth Hamblet, president of the 101 board of trustees, recalling that day. “They were all just so moved by what she said and the details of her story. For this ambitious and hardworking young woman who’s had to be independent for so long to know there were people in the community who cared about her goals and aspirations—(it) really had an impact on people.”
101, sometimes written as 101:, is an organization at Princeton High School that provides financial aid for students to attend college. The organization, originally called the Princeton Regional Scholarship Federation, was founded in 1970, and has given out more than $1 million in aid since its founding. In 2008, the organization renamed itself, choosing the name 101.
Board Vice President Pat Pannell said the organization gives out roughly between $60,000 and $80,000 a year, and that about 25 kids a year are award recipients.
Social studies teacher Jeff Lucker, a teacher at PHS for 47 years and member of the 101 board for about 20, said that almost every board member (currently there are 20 serving on the board) either had or currently has a child in the school system.
He believes that while most Princetonians are aware that there are people in town with financial needs, they may be less aware of the drive many of their children have to be, in some cases, the first in their families to attend and graduate from college. “I think the public would find some of their stories quite compelling,” he said.
The organization puts on two main fundraisers, one of which is the adults-only dinner at an eating club on the university campus, like the one described earlier. 101 charges guests by the couple, and proceeds go directly to the 101 fund. Typically, one or two 101 scholarship recipients speak at the event.
The other fundraiser is a student talent show held each year, where guests pay an admission to watch the show. This year’s talent show was held on March 11.
PHS students get involved with the organization by volunteering for the 101: PHS Student Auxiliary, made up of mostly juniors fulfilling the school’s community service requirement.
The auxiliary, which was formed around the same time that the organization changed its name, is responsible for organizing the talent show, running the booth at Communiversity and sending thank-you letters to donors. The creation of the student auxiliary helped to raise the profile of the organization, said Pannell.
Apart from fundraising events, 101 solicits donations through direct mailing and smaller fundraisers like bake sales, which are put on by the auxiliary board.
Though 101 is known for these publicized fundraisers, the organization maintains confidentiality for its awardees; it does not disclose details about award recipients, and students on the auxiliary board are not given information about PHS students who receive aid.
“We’re somewhat handicapped by the lower profile we feel we have to keep by the nature of the award,” Lucker said. “Because we’re need based, the parents and their students don’t want publicity.”
There have been articles about students expressing gratitude for the 101 fund, but the overall process of selecting students is kept private.
“It’s not always comfortable to let people know you have financial needs,” said Hamblet, a learning consultant who helps students with disabilities make the transition to college. “People have an amount of pride in what they do and that’s understandable, especially because even if the kids we’re sponsoring want to say something, their siblings at the school might not be comfortable.”
Henry Polanco graduated from PHS in 2009 and now attends Mercer County Community College part time for business administration. He is one former student who received aid from 101.
In high school, he worked as a part-time employee at a grocery store. He said he wouldn’t have been able to consider attending college had it not been for the 101 scholarship.
“For someone who doesn’t think about having an opportunity to go to college even part time because of the price, it seems almost impossible to go,” said. “You start losing focus and you start wondering how you can afford to go to school instead of concentrating on your [schoolwork].”
Polanco’s guidance counselor helped hook him up with 101, and the people there, “encouraged me to continue studying, which is really hard when you also have to work,” he said.
Seniors are invited to apply to receive funding once they have been accepted into college and have applied for financial aid, Hamblet said. 101 then sends the applications to the accepting college or university, where each student’s financial aid need is calculated using the same system that determines aid for prospective students.
Students attending a four-year university can receive up to $10,000 over four years, and those attending Mercer County Community College receive enough aid to pay for an associate degree. Not all applicants receive aid, and grades and community service commitment are not considered when determining who will get aid. Only financial need is considered.
Aiding 101 as a pro bono service is the Princeton University Financial Aid Office, Pannell said. It reviews the family’s tax returns and a financial statement summarizing more important points of the family’s tax return, the number of family members who are in school, home values and income information.
The office then uses that information to come up with a family contribution number for the applicant, and 101 comes up with the rest to help make up the difference.
After scholarships are awarded, students are paired with 101 mentors, who assist students in selecting and registering for classes. They also offer advice and guidance for students adjusting to the college experience.
Some mentors, like Steve Olentine, build strong bonds with their mentees and provide not only logistical guidance, but also offer advice and moral support. Olentine mentors an undocumented Guatemalan student studying video and audio production at MCCC who currently works a full-time job.
“It’s good to have somebody there as a second set of ears or who can help him when he has a language problem,” Olentine said.
Some kids don’t want a mentor or don’t need one, because they have decent family life, but the majority of them find that they do use a mentor, Olentine said.
Most students who receive scholarships go on to attend MCCC. Two years ago, the 101 board noticed that many completed a semester or a year of college but did not complete their education.
Riva Levy, who served as 101 president for six years, introduced the mentors to the program as a way to help students make it further through college, as well as to help determine why they weren’t completing school.
Immediately, mentors and board members began to notice a problem with transportation. Many students did not have their own cars, and public transportation from Princeton to the community college required three buses and almost two hours of traveling.
“We had a student who used to ride his bike from Princeton to Quaker Bridge, then he would take a bus to Mercer for almost an hour, in the winter in the rain,” Levy said.
In response, Levy and her husband, a basketball coach at MCCC, established a new bus route that takes students from Princeton to Quakerbridge Road. Students then transfer to a shuttle, free of charge, that goes directly to Mercer. The year before the new bus system was created, Olentine drove his mentee to the college as often as he could.
Student auxiliary and fundraising events also lead to an increase in awareness across the high school and in town.
Grace McGuirk and Jolene Leuchten are the organization’s senior student auxiliary leaders; they lead and organize sophomores in writing letters to donors, organize the annual talent show, and help connect people in the community with 101.
McGuirk said that while auxiliary members are interested in helping out their peers and community members, they do not know who 101 helps or how much aid students receive.
“101 helps a lot of first-generation kids and kids going to the community college, but that definitely doesn’t define all the kids who get scholarships,” McGuirk said. “Because tuition to Mercer County is cheaper, there is a reputation that 101 only targets low-income students. While we do that, we also target others.”
When she and Leuchten were freshmen at PHS, there were only about six student members. This year, more than 70 students signed up, and there has been a stable 30 members throughout the year.
McGuirk said that community members appreciate the handwritten letters students send to all donors. The organization has maintained a personal presence in the community that donors seem to appreciate.
“Each year, the number of letters we need to write increases by a lot, so that shows that as we send our information out there, we’re receiving feedback and growing each year,” McGuirk said.
At the end of the year, 101 conducts the awards ceremony to recognize award recipients. Apart from board members, the superintendent and principal, the only people invited are student aid recipients and their families. Each student gets recognition, but press does attend the event, unlike the other PHS scholarship event that takes place each year.
“When you go to that awards ceremony, it’s really very moving because you see on the parents’ faces a combination of pride and awkwardness,” Lucker said. “They feel a little awkward in a room with all of these people, yet they’re also proud of their children.”
101 is looking to continue broadening the scope of the organization to encourage more students to apply and receive awards. “The idea that the community really cares about you as an individual and really wants to see you succeed goes beyond the financial support,” Hamblet said. “That’s what’s so nice about Princeton — we don’t just take care of our own, we take care of everybody.”
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