A recipe for success: take a hot topic in our community, add a heaping spoonful of knowledge in the form of expert speakers, garnish with interested donors, and finish with a small reception designed to encourage interaction and continued conversation. Bam!—The formula for an artful display of the Community Foundation’s community knowledge and skill in convening.
On Thursday, October 15, about 60 donors and friends of the Community Foundation gathered at Seymour Elementary School in Syracuse to participate in Say Yes to Education Revealed. Expert panelists from Say Yes to Education, the Syracuse City School District, Syracuse University, and the Metropolitan Development Association outlined the basic components of the Say Yes program in Syracuse, and talked about its potential to boost graduation rates, spur our local economy and ensure post-secondary success.
The Syracuse chapter of Say Yes to Education is a national demonstration project, with great emphasis and scrutiny on both the program design and outcomes. In addition to the highly-publicized promise of free tuition for all graduates of the Syracuse City School District, the project also includes a series of supports and programming to increase the graduation rate of the city schools. Panelists outlined the range of these support services—from access to legal assistance for parents, to after-school programming meant to extend the supervision time for young students. The needs of students and their families are looked at holistically, with an understanding that students cannot be successful when they do not have access to proper nutrition, health services or academic supports.
The Community Foundation supported the Say Yes to Education program through a $1 million grant to create the Say Yes to Education Scholarship Fund. This fund is supporting the tuition promise for students going to New York State-funded institutions of higher learning—all SUNY and CUNY schools as well as community colleges state-wide. The scholarship fund currently supports 178 students from last year’s graduating class that went on to public colleges. Fundraising to endow this scholarship is ongoing.
This event was part of an ongoing donor education series coordinated by the Community Foundation. The "Revealed" series provides opportunities for donors to engage with their peers while expanding the depth of their knowledge on the issues of the day. Have an idea for a hot topic that you would like to see highlighted in this series? Email or call Jenn Owens at jenn@cnycf.org or 422-9538.