“Scholarship recipients are selected because they demonstrated YouthBuild’s core values – excellence, respect, and perseverance – so we know they are ready for the next step. You can help them successfully take that next step by donating to the Scholarship Fund today.”

-Khrista Pullium, YouthBuild Class of 2009 Salutatorian and John Rosenthal Memorial Scholarship Recipient

YouthBuild’s program is about much more than a high school diploma. Our goal, of course, is to support students as they earn their diplomas – but it’s also to prepare them to build on that success in the years to come. From Day One of each new school year, we stress to our students the importance of exploring and pursuing postsecondary options, developing professional skills, and pursuing their goals of college and a career with optimism and focus.

We strive to give students the skills and opportunities they need to be life-long learners and leaders in their community.  In recent weeks, we have celebrated (and blogged about) the dozens of students who have successfully completed  summer bridge programs with our postsecondary education partners: Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Community College of Philadelphia, and Peirce College.  These programs expose students to college life and postsecondary academic standards, and support them as they transition into new opportunities.

Supporters can help us create lasting opportunities for graduates by contributing to the 2012 Scholarship Fund. Scholarships are awarded to outstanding graduates, many of them soon-to-be first generation college students who face serious economic pressures and may otherwise struggle to balance basic needs against the cost of furthering their education. For students enrolled at a community college, just the cost of books and supplies is an estimated $1,100 each semester.

At the moment we know of 50 students who will graduate in August and start college or trade school in the fall.  That number is growing every day.

Please consider making a gift to the scholarship fund today, and help a YouthBuild graduate stay on track in postsecondary education and persist through to credential attainment.   Your gift will make a huge difference in their lives.

If we meet our goal of $5,000 in individual fundraising, a generous board member will match that amount!  We’re only $1,300 from our goal.  Help us get there and the impact of your gift will be doubled!