UPDATE: Behold the power of internet friends! Thanks to Swistle, and Alice, and Samantha, and Nilsa, and Jess, and any and everyone else who has linked to this today! I’m committed to raising money for College Summit, so I’m keeping the 50 cents per comment period open until 8 am central standard time tomorrow (Friday,) which is 24 hours after I posted it, or until my total donation reaches $150 (which, given the matching, would be a $300 donation!) After that, I’ll close out the”pay for comments” portion of our program, and open the voting for the “choose Friday’s charity” portion. Let’s see how much dough we can bring in! Thanks again for supporting these great causes!
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Hello again!
I’m really enjoying this week of giving and exploring other people’s favorite charities. Today, we continue as we have for the past three days: I guarantee a $25 donation, and add on an additional 50 cents for every comment I receive.
And today, there’s a BONUS AT STAKE: today’s organization has a private donor who has agreed to match match all donations of $50 or more through December 31, essentially double our donation if we raise $25 on top of my $25 pledge. This would take a LOT more comments we’ve had so far this week, but here’s the thing: I pretty much never check blog stats, but I did yesterday, and there are a lot of you out there this week who are visiting but not commenting. Welcome, new friends! I am asking you, today, to please, please comment. Comment anonymously if you wish, tell me you disagree with my choice of charity and advocate for one of your own, do whatever you feel you should. But please, if you’re here today, just comment. I’m really hoping I can get 50 comments on this post to raise the extra $25 so that my donation gets matched. Let’s do it!
Today’s featured organization is not Chicago-based, but it is one very close to my heart: College Summit.
College Summit is a truly amazing organization that has a proven record successfully addressing one of the hardest truths about the American education system: poor students, even really excellent poor students, aren’t going to college at the rates they could and should be, and this fact is hurting kids, families, and communities.
From their website:
National data indicates that low-income students who got A’s on a standardized test went to college at the same rate as top-income students who got D’s on the same standardized test.
A college education can break the cycle of poverty for families and drive economic growth for communities. Yet, community-wide solutions to enrolling more low-income students in college are particularly difficult to achieve. College Summit addresses this challenge by using a proven strategy that engages critical stakeholders across the community and employs an approach that helps embed systemic, scalable, and enduring change.
I’ve worked with College Summit before, and can speak personally to the power of their model. Simply said: it works. And you don’t have to take my word for it:
Since 1993, we have trained more than 13,000 student influencers. The high school GPA for these students has been mid-tier: 2.9 (on a 4.0 scale). Yet they have enrolled in college at a rate of 79%, significantly above the national college enrollment rate among low-income students of 52%. These Peer Leaders don’t just make it to college, they stay in college. The retention rate for these students has been 80% – above the national rate across all demographics.
If you’re familiar with education reform, and how hard it is to make meaningful, sustainable change, these numbers should blow you away.
If you want to be really inspired, (and work in an office where you’re reasonably protected from embarrassment if you tear up at your desk,) check out some of the essays students have produced at College Summit workshops.
SO! Let’s give them some money!
(And tune in tomorrow for the five finalists for our “vote for our final charity” feature!)
This is a wonderful idea and I like the charity. Count me as another one sent over via Swistle!
It’s nice to see somebody doing something good.
You weren’t picked up by my feed reader yesterday and I missed out. I did tweet your project on Tuesday. A Womens Fund in Urbana IL gets my vote for tomorrow
This is a great org. Nice pick.
hello!
I comment in support.
Great idea!
nice idea
Found you through Swistle and I must say what you are doing is very admirable! I wish you all the luck in the world and hope you succeed
terrific!
What a great cause!
such a great cause
What a great idea!
Great idea
I love this, I wish I would have thought of it!
Not much to say, but just want to make sure the tally keeps rising!
Found you through Swistle–great idea!
Saw you on Twitter, and Alice’s and Swistle.
Can I only comment once?
give it away!
Wow, this is an ingenious way of raising money!
Good idea! Great cause!
College Summit is Amazing!!
This is awesome!
What a great cause!
This is a wonderful initiative that changes the lives of these students. Thanks!
That is a great idea and cause. Hope many more will comment.
This is so generous of you. I hope comments continue to grow.
Swistle sent me.
Thanks Swistle for sending me here.
Sounds like a great cause!
helloooo!
Hi all -
I work for College Summit in Washington, DC. A friend sent me the link to this blog as a result. Not only is it incredible generous to empty your pockets for causes you admire, but the awareness raising you are doing for us is invaluable. We and our students thank you so much!
If anyone lives in the DC area and wants to volunteer with us – please let me know. jdemaree@collegesummit.org
Swistle sent me too! What a great idea and you have chosen some really cool organizations!
This is awesome of you. Great cause and I’m glad I could help!
Eep. (I just wanted to type it out.)
Hope I can help.
Thanks for helping a great cause!
Wow, I don’t check your blog for a few days, and look what I miss! Here’s my comment.
Came by via swistle. I work in higher ed so anything to do with college is great in my book
As an educator myself, with an initial start with Teach For America, I’m all for this charity!
Alice is annoying and sent me here
89 Comments is way more than the 50 you needed but I still love this idea and want to help more and more and woohoo!!!!
You are awesome.
P.S. I’m here via Swistle so if you go bankrupt doing this, blame her.
Awesome idea!
Swistle sent me!
Over 90 comments – how cool!
good work.
Another commenter sent via Swistle – what a great idea!
What a cool idea! Here via Alice.
Swistle sent me too!
What a great idea! Thanks to Swistle for the link.
Another Swistle link through. Great cause. Great idea.
I think this is such an amazing idea, so inspiring. Thanks to Swistle for the link!