OneFuture Coachella Valley celebrated 20 years with a thank you gala on March 25 at Aqua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage. DJ Modgirl acted as emcee and kept the pace moving with her fine-tuned humor and eclectic music.

Guests heard from sponsors, volunteers and many young people whose lives have been changed because of a scholarship awarded to them. OneFuture Coachella Valley works closely with the valley’s three unified school districts to encourage all high school students to complete the free application for federal student aid.

Since its inception, OneFuture’s 300 community partners have together awarded more than $18 million in scholarships to more than 3,000 students.

View Full Photo Gallery | Carole Stephen-Smith/Special to the Desert Sun

The organization’s mission is to ensure that all students succeed — which, in turn, makes our community thrive. Here are some fun facts: Since 2010, OneFuture scholars have earned 1,165 bachelor degrees, 171 master’s degrees, 17 doctoral degrees and 488 associates degrees. These numbers include 131 nursing degrees and a total of 537 degrees in health majors.

In addition to one-on-one counseling and financial aid, eligible students can also apply for the state’s CalFresh program, which can provide students up to $291 per month to help them eat healthy while they study.

If you know of a local young person who is about to leave school and is getting ready to apply for college but needs a little help to achieve their dreams, OneFuture Coachella Valley has an incredibly detailed website listing everything you need to know about applying for financial help. The resource also includes outside scholarship opportunities.

In 20 years, OneFuture has provided local students with so much help. It’s no wonder its 20 year anniversary gala was sold out, and representatives from so many corners of the valley — including past and present students — were in attendance to say thank you to the people who helped make their dreams come true.

 

For more information, call 760-625-0422.

Carole Stephen-Smith began writing in Scotland for a women’s weekly at the age of 15 and later covered American celebrities for the London Evening Echo. After relocating to the desert, she wrote for Desert Woman in the 1990s. Stephen-Smith focuses on charities that assist women, medical causes — especially breast cancer awareness — and all aspects of child abuse.