MANSFIELD — The local TRIO Support Services program at North Central State College initiated a letter campaign earlier this year, collecting approximately 1,000 letters to be shipped to those currently serving in the armed forces.
Breanna Argenio, a NCSC student involved in TRIO, came up with the idea as a way to commemorate National TRIO Day — a day of celebration, reflection and action to bring awareness of the importance of educational opportunity for disadvantaged students across the United States.
“Soldiers and other people in the military give back for us a lot, so I think this is a way that we can give back to them,” Argenio said.
Area schools were invited to participate. According to Ashley Benson, director of TRIO, students from Mansfield City Schools, Ontario Local Schools, Highland Local Schools, St. Peter’s Schools, Madison Local Schools, Plymouth-Shiloh Local Schools, as well as NCSC sent letters.
Some included drawings and poems with their letters.
“Each year as program we look for a way to celebrate National TRIO Day, and we try to do that by giving back as opposed to asking people to give to us,” Benson said.
Last year TRIO collected toiletry items for the Harmony House.
For this year’s project, Staff Sgt. Husniyah Briddell helped TRIO get the ball rolling.
Benson said TRIO has also partnered with a Columbus-based group known as Buckeye Military Moms, which will send a portion of the letters overseas. Another portion of the letters will be sent to local servicemen and women.
TRIO is a federally-funded program that serves first generation, low income, and disabled college students.
“It’s meant to be a support system to the students,” Benson said.
“We really help to be a shoulder, to be a muscle, but we’re also there to help them where they’re struggling.”
Help could be provided in the form of tutoring, technology assistance, completing one’s FAFSA, etc.
Benson said TRIO serves 140 students a year.
TRIO isn’t an acronym but the local program has decided to turn it into one: “Turning Roadblocks Into Opportunities.”
“That’s really what we do,” Benson said.
According to Benson, President Donald Trump’s proposed budget poses a threat to the U.S. Department of Education, of which TRIO belongs.
“Nationally, we will have a reduction of 62,000 students from receiving services,” Benson said. “These are college-access programs, so we have some that start as early as sixth grade and go all the way through college to help people get their PhD’s.
To lose this kind of support is “huge,” Benson said.
“It can have a huge impact on the college completion rate for our nation,” she said.
