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HAPPY SPRING and welcome to our April 2020 edition of our online newsletter (LAP) The Learning Academy Post
We are recruiting college students of color from Temple University to serve as mentors to high school students for the entirety of the 2020-2021 School Year, if interested,  click this link  to view our criteria and apply. 
Mentee of the Month: Christian Kelly
Christian Kelly is recognized as our March 2020 DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. Mentee of the Month. Christian was selected because of his commitment to obtaining his formal education, his perseverance in overcoming life's challenges and good citizenship in our community. Christian is currently a Sophomore at The U School and has been a member of DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. since November 2019. 

Christian, a 10th Grader at The U School is a talented motivational speaker, a good friend, and a great person to be around. Christian's mentor Mu, DonCARES Assistant Director Cameron, and DonCARES Executive Director Donovan are proud of Christian and his recent accomplishments. Congratulations, Christian and enjoy the certificate and WAWA Gift Card!
Mentor of the Month: Mu Hernandez
Mu Hernandez is recognized as the March 2020 DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. Mentor of the Month. Mu was selected because she has shown outstanding commitment to our core values and has built an admirable relationship with her mentee Christian. 
 
Mu is a Junior at Temple University majoring in English. DonCARES Executive Director Donovan Forrest met him in the summer of 2019 shortly after he applied to be a mentor. 

Mu chose to become a mentor for DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. because he is always looking for opportunities to impact younger communities in a positive light. As a Resident Assistant at Temple University a Candidate for Temple Student Government and an aspiring educator, Mu says it was important to him that DonCARES puts a lot of focus on the relationship between minorities and mentors, more specifically, how the presence of a mentor can dramatically alter the lives of these children.
A Message from Our Executive Director
Greetings & Happy Spring, 

As we wrap up our fourth program year a month early, I can not help but reflect on our grassroots organizing around mentorship. Since September 2015, our organization and its members have created many positive mentoring moments, smiles, and lasting memories. 

Serving as founder, chairman and executive director has been an absolute pleasure. While the position I have been fortunate to hold has been both extremely rewarding and challenging, I haven't the slightest disbelief in the positive power of our mentoring work. For all of our hours of service, I am thankful. 

Many know, how much my life has been centered around mentorship, service, and scholarship for the past five years as an undergraduate student at Temple University. Seeing the impact of our mentors, volunteers, administrators, and school partners have been nothing short of amazing. I always believed it was something special when college students of color stood up in their community, committed themselves to the moral uplift of their communities while serving as a mentor to a high school-aged student in North Philadelphia. 
 
I write this letter not as a goodbye but as a celebration of our impact in our beloved community. As many of our members including myself, earn our degrees in a few short weeks, I am confident that we will continue to move forward with a service mindset. My sole hope is that we take the lessons we learned through our collective altruism to the next stage in our lives. 

I wish you the best in your careers and even better in your personal lives. Congratulations, my fellow Class of 2020!

Yours in Service, 

Donovan Forrest

Executive Director, 

DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc.
History Corner: Sigma Pi Phi (ΣΠΦ)

Sigma Pi Phi (ΣΠΦ) is the first successful and oldest African-American Greek-lettered organization. Founded in Philadelphia, PA on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters "member boulés" in Chicago, Illinois, and Baltimore, Maryland. The founders of Sigma Pi Phi included two doctors, a dentist, and a physician.

When the organization was founded, African-American professionals were not offered participation in existing professional and cultural associations. Since their founding 116 years ago, Sigma Pi Phi has grown to over 5,000 members and chartered 126 chapters throughout the United States, England, and the Caribbean. 
"You've got an entire generation of young people truly in desperate need of a friend, someone they can trust, an example they can follow. That's why mentors are so important."

― Michelle Obama