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Community members, supporters, teachers and Young Americans Center staff members gathered in Young AmeriTowne this morning to celebrate the success of Send-a-School, a scholarship initiative that educated 8,271 deserving students last year.
Thanks to Send-a-School, eligible students can participate in the Young AmeriTowne and International Towne educational programs at a reduced rate. For example, at Arrowhead Elementary school, where 46% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, Send-a-School funds provided by the Madge M. and Joseph T. Mohar Charitable Foundation helped offset the cost of Young AmeriTowne. “Instead of $30 per student, a price that includes both the program and school bus transportation, our students paid just $15,” said Karen Watson, a fifth grade Teacher at Arrowhead who shared her story as part of the breakfast program. Her colleague Mary Mains, also a fifth grade teacher at Arrowhead added, “This is the only field trip we do because it has such a positive impact on students.”
Kayla Schlitz, a fifth grade teacher at Heiman Elementary School, describes the impact that Send-a-School has on her students.
Teacher Kayla Schlitz echoed this sentiment by describing how her students benefitted from the program. Kayla teaches fifth grade at Ann K. Heiman Elementary School in Evans where 51% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch and 16% of students speak little or no English. Part of the Greeley-Evans School District, Heiman students participated in AmeriTowne On the Road in Greeley earlier this year. “I had a student who typically struggles with behavior jump into the role of Containers Shop Assembler,” said Kayla. “He thrived when he learned he could use his artistic skills to create dog tags for his friends and earn a profit for his business.” In AmeriTowne, students don’t even realize how much they are learning because they are having so much fun.
Send-a-School also funds participation in International Towne for students like Mesa Middle School seventh graders in Douglas County. Veteran teacher Maria Gabrielson has brought 1,760 Mesa students to International Towne over the last 11 years. For Maria, International Towne is “financially fantastic.” Students’ conversations are rich, and they really “get it” when it comes to math. “Thank you for making this experience possible,” she said.
In America today, four in ten individuals can’t cover a $400 unexpected expense without going into debt. By providing hands-on lessons in personal finance and business, Young AmeriTowne and International Towne open doors for all types of students so that they can change this statistic. Speaker Tamara Doi Beck, Senior Vice President of Northern Trust Company and member of the Young Americans Center Board of Directors referenced a quote from Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund that concisely underscores this idea. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”
We’d love to tell you more about how you can support Send-a-School, which meets CRA investment eligibility requirements. Read an overview, and contact Betsy Sklar at bsklar@yacenter.org or 303-320-3245.
