It’s no secret that attending college is expensive.
Tuition and textbooks are pricey. But the smaller expenses can add up too, especially for students who are moving into dorms.
That’s why LaShonda Furlow started the Indianapolis branch of Community Assisting and Rewarding Education University — known as CARE University — in 2023.
The nonprofit provides students going off to college with essentials they’ll need, including bedding, toiletries and school supplies.
Furlow is friends with CARE University founder Danielle Deel, who started the organization in Elkhart in 2016. It’s since expanded to Northwest Indiana.
As Furlow helped her friend organize events in Elkhart, she felt that Indy students and families could benefit, too. But she also remembered her own experiences of sending money for her son to purchase toiletries and food when he went to college.
“Some parents just don’t have the money or the means to do that,” she said. “I just felt like, why not provide this for the families here?”
Each August, CARE Indy hosts a kickoff event where students can “shop” for supplies they’ll need for the year. The goal is to help offset the costs of college and ease the burden on families.
“People don’t think about the things that they need to go into the dorm,” said Furlow, who’s the director of CARE Indy. “Now they can focus on other things that they need to purchase, because all of these things are taken care of.”
That was the case for Nia Dooley, a junior at Delaware State University who’s participated in CARE University since her freshman year of college.
Dooley described being able to stock up on supplies at the beginning of the school year as a “safeguard” for her finances.
“Knowing at the beginning of the year, I’ll always have access to essentials,” said Dooley, who is 21. “I won’t necessarily have to worry about them when I’m first going to school.”
How to get involved
Applications for the CARE Indy program are closed for this coming school year, but will reopen in April 2027.
To be eligible, students must be a graduate of an Indianapolis high school and have at least a 2.0 GPA. They also must be moving into either an apartment or dorm for college to enroll. There are no income limits to participate.
You can also donate supplies to college students through CARE Indy’s Amazon wishlist.
For more information, email careuniversity317@gmail.com.
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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.
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