| Quote of the Month |
"I want to create my own path to show my children, as well as the next generation in my family, that you can achieve goals."
~Aisha Jenkins going from H.D. Woodson High to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington |
| Notes From Recent Publications |
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At a time when only seven in 10 American students graduate from high school in four years, an ambitious new president is demanding that the nation raise its educational sights even higher.
"[E]very American will need to get more than a high school diploma," Barack Obama said in a speech to Congress shortly after taking office. "And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country."
President Obama called for all Americans to commit to at least one year of education after high school, and for the United States to retake its place in the global education arena by boasting the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020.
The heightened rhetoric around college-going reflects a growing consensus among policymakers that some form of postsecondary education is crucial to students' success after high school. That view implicitly changes high schools' mission from simply graduating students to ensuring they are prepared for the next tier of study, whether it is in two- or four-year colleges, or in technical or career coursework.
-Education Week, June 11, 2009 |
| Thank You to Our Funders |
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Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Freddie Mac Foundation
Google Grants
Philip L. Graham Fund
Harman Family Foundation
Hattie M. Strong Foundation
The Herb Block Foundation
Insel Foundation
Richard and Nancy Marriott Foundation
Mystics Foundation
Optimist Club
of Great Falls
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Prince George's County 'Community First' Fund
USTA Serves
Wachovia Foundation
World Bank Community Connection
Many Individual Donors |
| Help RFC Start a Scholarship Fund for Next Year's Seniors |
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| RFC Board |
| Kristi Cruzat, Chair
Linda Abraham, Vice Chair
Laurence Gill, Secretary
Dexter Tucker,
Treasurer
Rushern Baker
Robert Clayton
Segun Eubanks
Linda Fennell
Brenda Harvey
Deb Insel
Ashley James
Welsey Lawson
Gloria Mobley
Tahi Reynolds
Ramon Richards
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| Greetings!
June is always a special, celebratory time with graduations and students getting ready to take the next steps forward in their lives. Reach for College! is proud of all of its students and their accomplishments this year.
We were able to add to the celebrations by giving ten RFC scholarships to students (up from six scholarships last year). And we were honored to be nominated ourselves for an award as a Social Value Leader in the DC area. |
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Ten Reach for College! Seniors Given $750 Scholarships at 2nd Annual Celebration Event
The Washington Mystics Foundation and Reach for College! donors funded the scholarships
Donneka McPherson, Evelyn Richardson, Terrence Raycrow, Chidi Nwuso, Deon French, Christopher Brown (in back row), Aisha Jenkins, Shanima Parker and Terrain Cheeks (in front row) all received RFC Scholarships at celebratory dinner with their families, some teachers, principals and RFC Board members and friends on June 16. (Tenth recipient, Tonya Boatwright, not pictured due to illness.)
RFC students from five DC high schools received $750 scholarships at a celebratory dinner on June 16 at the Sumner School. This 2nd Annual 'feel good' event also honored two of the students' teachers, one principal, and the families, all of whom have helped propel these students to aim higher.
The students were from Dunbar, Spingarn, H.D. Woodson, Booker T. Washington Public Charter, and Hospitality Public Charter. They had GPA's ranging from 2.6 to 3.9 and will be attending colleges and universities in seven states from Florida to Washington state. All scholarships were awarded based on need and students were selected for their essays responding to the prompt, "Why I Have Chosen to go to College."
Excerpts from a few of the winning essays
"Living in a community where optimism is but a lit candle dwindling in a crisp night, and where the majority of the people are either high school dropouts or have never attended college, I soon realized that the odds were against me to succeed. So I decided to defeat those odds by actively prepping for life after high school."
~Shanima Parker, from Dunbar and going to Bennett College
"I want to create my own path to show my children, as well as the next generation in my family, that you can achieve goals."
~Aisha Jenkins, from H.D. Woodson and going to Pacific Lutheran University
"Another reason I am so excited about going to college is I'm the third oldest great grandchild and I would be the first to go to college. This would be something exciting for me as well as my family, especially my great-grandmother who has helped raise me. She has been such an inspiration to me-I admire her for her strength in raising a family of her own and having six successful children. Although all her children did not go to college, she encouraged them to be the best they could in whatever they chose to do, and they did."
~Terrence Raycrow, From Dunbar, going to Elizabeth City State
"I watched her as she sat there with her head in her hands, wondering how she was going to take care of me. She had no high school diploma and no way to get money. She looked at my sisters and I and said, 'You have to be better than me. Get your education and never take it for granted.' That was when I realized that I had to go to college to break my family cycle, improve my quality of living, and be able to give back to the community."
~Terrain Cheeks, From Booker T. Washington Public Charter and going to Kent State
Mystics Foundation & RFC donors supported scholarships
Generous support from the Washington Mystics Foundation and from Reach for College! individual donors helped make the scholarships possible. The $750 scholarships can be used by students for tuition and fees, books, room and board, computer and printer equipment, or travel to and from college. In addition, RFC Board member, Linda Fennell, and her family gave going away bags to the students of items that will come in handy in their dorm rooms.
Last year's scholarship recipients are continuing success
Last June, RFC provided scholarships to six graduating seniors, all of whom will be returning to their colleges next fall. They are going to universities ranging from Bethune-Cookman in Florida to James Madison in Virginia to Michigan State.
What RFC does
Reach for College! provides a curriculum of five books to schools to make students aware of the benefits of college and to walk them through the steps of the college application process. This school year the program was provided to over 1,700 students in DC, including public and public charter schools, and to nearly 3,000 students in Prince George's County. Reach for College! trains teachers from the school in how to teach the curriculum and supports the teacher and the school throughout the year with in-class assistance and college tours for the students.
Hospitality Charter Principal Dr. Debra Knight said, "We have partnered with a number of organizations, however, the support and encouragement that our staff and students receive from RFC has been truly exceptional. They visit the school frequently, send weekly emails to keep our staff informed and publish a monthly newsletter that celebrates the success of students across the city. RFC provides SAT prep materials, scholarship and college resource books, as well as a textbook on the college process for each student. All of these items were provided to our school and ensured that our students have equal access to resources to help them attend and succeed in college." |
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RFC Co-Directors Finalists for Social Value Leadership Award
Brenda Harvey and Deb Insel, Co-Founders and Co-Directors of RFC, recognized as leaders
RFC Co-Directors, Brenda Harvey and Deb Insel, were among the three finalists for the Social Value Leadership Award given by Greater DC Cares and Washington Post Media this June. According to the nominating documents, "Social value is the value created by nonprofit organizations that contribute to the social well-being of the community or society at large. This cannot happen without strong leadership."
By providing college-prep and college-readiness books and services to 4,600 students in the D.C. metro area this last school year, and helping 73% of RFC students enroll in college, this social impact is significant. Studies have shown that for every $1 spent helping low-income students access college, $3 is returned to society via tax revenue because of their higher earning power. The nominating documents continued, "There are not many investments these days that will triple in value over the course of a few years. But these two leaders are providing just that social value through their students who will continue to supply creativity, innovation and a reliable workforce for the D.C. region and beyond for years to come."
Though the RFC Co-Directors did not win the award (which went to ACT for Alexandria) the honor of being among the three finalists was appreciated. And First Lady Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker at the Awards luncheon on June 16. | |
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Deb Insel and Brenda Harvey
Co-Directors |
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