Local nonprofit to fund scholarships for children from low-income families

PISCATAWAY — A new nonprofit is raising funds to provide local low-income families with partial tuition scholarships for their children to attend K-12 private and parochial schools.
Hope through Education, a newly incorporated nonprofit charitable organization aims to offer need-based tuition assistance to low-income families living in  Middlesex, Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties.
“The future success of a child should not be determined by a parent’s inability to afford the full tuition cost of a private or parochial school,” said Tamara Hemingway, executive director of Hope through Education.
Before assuming her role as executive director, Hemingway was the Head of Institutional Advancement for the Diocese of Metuchen's Department of Education and previously the Director of Advancement for two Boston-based charitable organizations: Lovelane and The Forsyth Institute.
Hemingway, who in her new position is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan for the nonprofit, said economic disadvantage is, in many ways, associated with educational disadvantage.
“The fates of children from low-income families are often sealed before they even step foot into the classroom,” said Hemingway. “Our goal is to change these outcomes, to invest in these students — regardless of race or religion — and to close the wide economic and educational gap that can exist from school-age into adulthood.”
In addition to Hemingway, the nonprofit is governed by a large and diverse board of trustees, whose members have executive experience in finance, law, education, nonprofit management, real estate, technology and have many other areas of expertise.
In its first year as an incorporated nonprofit, Hope through Education offered 26 scholarships, totaling $74,000, to qualified low-income students attending private values-based schools, including Mount Saint Mary Academy, Watchung, and Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen.
“We hope to help as many children as possible reach their full potential through a great education,” said Hemingway. “Subsequently, we hope students and their families will feel confident in the education they receive and the many opportunities it can yield for their futures.”
To learn more about Hope through Education or to learn how you can donate, visit https://www.hopethrougheducationusa.org/.