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Dear Friends,
Wow! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were attending the graduation ceremonies for our students at Buchtel and East of the Akron Public Schools and receiving announcements of the graduations of our college students. Now, the 2023-2024 school year is beginning. The past few months have been extremely busy for our staff and team members! We thank you for your support! From grants, to individual and corporate donations, to contributions to support of our annual fundraisers, and to the volunteering of your time and talent, your generosity has afforded Project GRAD Akron the opportunity to support students at various transitions in their lives! We do not do this work alone. Working together, we are making a positive difference in the lives of young people!
This newsletter will provide you a brief glimpse in the variety of activities and experience that are students enjoyed as well as for you to see some of the Class of 2023 scholarship recipients as they begin pursuing their post-secondary options. This summer, Project GRAD Akron hosted a Entrepreneurship Adventures program in collaboration with Northside Marketplace; a Bridge to Kindergarten Summer Academy; a Writing for Your Future in collaboration with Kent State University; GRADS Persists sessions for our Class of 2023 scholarship recipients; and provided a great deal of support for our students and families!
It has been so much fun to watch our students engage in the summer activities! Our students had excellent attendance, were active participants, and thoroughly enjoyed the learning experiences. Students have excitedly shared with their peers about how much they enjoyed the program. So much so, other students are asking how they can get involved! Parents and other adult family members have expressed pride in seeing their children's involvement as well as enjoying the opportunity to participate in some of the parent sessions. As an illustration, recently, I encountered a grandmother of a Bridge to Kindergarten participant on an elevator. Her granddaughter attended our 3-week Bridge to Kindergarten program and did not attend her normal daycare. After our program concluded, the child had to return to her to daycare to wait the few weeks for her kindergarten year to begin. The grandmother informed me that her granddaughter asked her to pick her up early from daycare because it was not the same as Bridge to Kindergarten and how much she missed it!
As the Executive Director, I am proud of the dedication of our staff and team members! They genuinely care about the students and are always seeking opportunities for the students to have positive and meaningful experiences. I constantly receive positive feedback from school staff, parents and guardians, students, and so many others about how much they appreciate our staff and the work that we are doing to support student success!
In closing, thank you again for your support of our fundraisers and your donations to our scholarship fund! Your contributions afforded us the opportunity to offer new scholarships to the Class of 2023 graduates from Buchtel and East of the Akron Public Schools, as well as to provide additional scholarships to our college students, who are pursuing a variety of post-secondary options!
Thank you for believing in our mission and understanding that Graduation Really Achieves Dreams! If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about Project GRAD Akron and its tremendous impact in our community, feel free to contact us at 330-761-3113, via email at info@projectgradakron.org, or visit our website at www.projectgradakron.org!
Sincerely,
Jacqueline A. Silas-Butler, Esq.
Executive Director
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