This past weekend I finally had a chance to sit down and read through the July issue of Redbook. I always enjoy reading the Mom Moment section just to see what's changed since my children were growing up. This time, a headline caught my eye: "Scholarships for single moms!" Being the financial person that I am, naturally I had to read the brief article.

As I read through statistical information about single working moms with college degrees (only 16% out of 8 million in the U.S.!), what caught my eye was the reference to Elearners.com! I quickly scanned the article, then tore out the page and ran out to my husband crying, "This is who I write for!". His enthusiasm wasn't quite the same as mine.

Anyway, the article talks about how Elearners.com is partnering with certain online universities to offer full-ride scholarships to single moms through it's fairly new website Project Working Mom. That's all I'm going to say, so if you're interested you need to go to the Project Working Mom website, hosted by Elearners.com. I can tell you that the deadline for applications is August 30, so don't delay!

I signed on with Elearners.com less than a year ago, but I've seen this company grow tremendously. I have great respect for everyone involved with this organization, and they should be proud of their accomplishments. What great advertising to have your company named in a major magazine!

In addition to Project Working Mom, Elearners.com has an extensive database of scholarships available for everyone through its Elearners.com homepage by clicking Paying for College-Loans, Grants & Scholarships on the right-side menu. I highly recommend you check out this link for additional funding resources.

Congratulations, Elearners.com! 

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I live 40 minutes from the Mississippi river. While my town has not been directly impacted by the floods, our community has provided support with sandbagging in area towns. My family had to pack my brother and his wife's belongings (even tearing up the carpet) from his river cabin, which is now under water.

Mother nature is paying us back with floods, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and whatever else she can throw at us. It's heartbreaking to see so much disaster in our country and around the world. As a result, many families are not only displaced, but may have lost their means of financial support. Financial aid is probably the last thing on the minds of families impacted by a natural disaster, but at some point the financial burden will affect students.

If you experience a natural disaster that affects your financial situation, contact your school about a special circumstance. Financial aid administrators have the ability to perform what's called Professional Judgment to make changes to your FAFSA information. I encourage you to contact your financial aid representative even if the effects of the disaster are felt one or two years down the road.

I can't give a blanket statement about what changes your financial aid administrator can make because it will depend on the situation. Every Professional Judgment case is made on an individual basis, but your administrator will direct you as to what documentation is needed if a review is warranted.

As a side point, if the disaster affects your schoolwork or Internet connection, contact your school to let them know of your hardship. If you are unable to complete your classes because of Mother Nature, the school needs to know. Schools should be sympathetic to your situation. Remember that when you attempt coursework, you are put into that pesky policy of Satisfactory Academic Progress. Failure to earn the credit for courses in which you enroll could jeopardize your eligibility for future financial aid. It's important to keep in contact with your school to avoid having to appeal for financial aid in the future. On the other side, find out if your school has been impacted by a disaster. If so, you need to know what delays you may experience.

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