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HAPPY SPRING and welcome to the June 2021 edition of our online newsletter (LAP) The Learning Academy Post

Congrats, to the our graduates from Temple University's Class of 2021!! We are proud of you! L to R (top): Mu Hernandez, Aaron Williams L to R (bottom): Madison Brown, Kevin Jackson

Impact at Simon Gratz High School

This school year, DonCARES had the chance to partner with Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia. Over the course of the 2020-2021 school year, DonCARES in conjunction with Mr. Forrest's classroom hosted seven panels, sponsored an essay contest with two winners ($125.00 in gift cards), recruited five college students of color to serve as judges, gave out five classroom awards and gift cards totaling $50.00, and hosted a black history Kahoot with three winners who also got a $10 wawa gift card each. Among the guest panelists were a doctor, entrepreneurs, writers, nonprofit founders, period poverty activists, a law student, PhD students, Covid safety activists, fraternity members, sorority members, fashion models, and civil/human rights activists. DonCARES is proud to be part of such a supportive community for high school students in North Philadelphia.

Four DonCARES Mentees Graduate from The U School

On Thursday, June 10th, four mentees from DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. will earn their high school diplomas from The U School in North Philadelphia. DonCARES mentees: India, Jay, Nicholas, and Lizandro are among the graduates. While this school year was mostly virtual due to Covid, all four scholars were excited to take their graduation pictures together at The U School. DonCARES mentee India Gay was matched with 2020 Temple University graduate Madison Brown. Matched since October 2018, Madison and India have worked on homework assignments together, went to the movies, several restaurants, and even the Philadelphia Auto Show.  DonCARES mentees Nicholas and Lizandro were part of the group mentoring cohort that assembled once every two weeks at The U School from 2017 to 2020. During these sessions, both Nick and Liz would listen to several panelists discuss their occupations, their hobbies, and even left high school students with tips for success.  Over the past few years, all graduating seniors had the chance to create resumes, go on off-campus excursions with their mentors, receive group mentoring, build connections with leaders in the city, and earn gift cards for their participation in programming.  DonCARES mentee Jay Acevedo met Forrest in November 2017. Since then, the two have remained in touch. At the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, both Jay and Don consulted about virtual learning and Forrest lent Jay support during the nontraditional school year.  DonCARES Mentors Madison Brown and Donovan Forrest are extremely proud of the Spring 2021 Graduates and wish them the best in their future endeavors.

DonCARES Hosts Eighth Hydration Walk On Saturday, June 5, 2021, DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc.,Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship Incorporated, and Omega Delta Delta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. hosted DonCARES of Philadelphia's Eighth Summer Hydration Walk. The idea to serve started in 2017 when DonCARES Founder and Executive Director saw individuals in need. "It was a hot summer day and I was thirsty. I went into a WaWa and bought a water bottle. As I walked out, I saw a homeless man lying on the sidewalk without a shirt. At that moment, I knew that I was in a privileged position and decided to give my bottle of water to the man on the street. I then went back to Wawa and bought one for myself." Forrest reminisces on the exact moment he decided that there should be a larger effort to serve, that's when we started a go-fund-me to raise money for waters and coolers. Since 2017, DonCARES has held eight hydration walks. Since 2020, DonCARES has mostly collaborated with Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Inc. and given nearly 1,000 bottles of water to Philadelphia's most vulnerable populations. Upcoming Event: Summer Hydration Walk “In a perfect dream, things would be set exactly the way you would want them. But I think it's more interesting that in real life, things aren't exactly the way you planned..” -Naomi Osaka ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌