“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”

-- Arthur Ashe

Courtney Allen, an employee at Exelon/PECO, and YMWIC Board Vice President and Chair of the Facilities Planning Committee, was awarded the 2021 Powering Communities Employee Volunteer Award, Merit Award by Exelon. Each year, Exelon recognizes its employees for their volunteer commitments, and on Courtney’s behalf, has made a generous donation to YMWIC.

Since 2018, Courtney has volunteered at many of our events and workshops and hosted YMWIC Scholars at Exelon during our Job Shadowing events sharing his experiences as a STEM professional. In addition, he has recruited other Exelon employees to volunteer for the Foundation. We thank Courtney for his commitment to and embodiment of the YMWIC Mission, Vision, and Values.

YMWIC would like to thank West for their continued generosity in supporting our Pre-College and Summer Programs.

YMWIC would like to thank KeyBank for providing support in our Pre-College After School Program with supplies, materials, kits and the infrastructure needs during our hybrid Pandemic environment.

We also thank the Cerner Charitable Foundation for their donation of robotics kits and materials for the 2021-2022 robotics competition. Cerner is also providing three Scholars with unpaid Software Development internships at the Malvern location.

YMWIC is excited to announce our partnership with the Vanguard Foundation, which has made a generous donation in support of the STEM component of our Pre-College After School Program.

YMWIC would like to thank Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMCO) Space and RMS Division for their generous donation in support of our Pre-College After School Program. LMCO has been a wonderful partner. Our Scholars are still benefiting from science kits previously-donated by LMCO. During our third workshops this month, Pluto (5th and 6th grade) Scholars learned the fundamentals of electric circuits using the kits. We thank LMCO for their continued support.

Mr. Sandy Lipstein, President of the Lipstein Family Foundation and Board member of Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital, has made a donation to YMWIC on behalf of The Lipstein Family Foundation.” We thank Mr. Lipstein and the Lipstein Family Foundation for their generosity and support.

We are actively soliciting participation, support and/or donations from our Corporate and University Partners, Supporters, and Donors to ensure the success of each of these events.

YMWIC will host our Annual College and Career Expo and Free COVID Vaccination Event at B. Reed Henderson High School on November 13, 2021, from 9:00AM to 2:15PM. College and Corporate representatives will provide Scholars and Parents with valuable information on topics including:

This year, families will have an opportunity to receive a COVID vaccine, compliments of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The first dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be available on site for ages 12 and older, and you can register to receive the second dose at a later date.

You can register to attend the Annual College and Career Expo and Free COVID Vaccination Event by selecting this link.

We got off to a strong start with our September workshops. We are happy to announce that most of our chapters are meeting in person this year, according to school district mandates. The Norristown and Upper Darby chapters are starting out with virtual workshops, but we hope to be meeting in person in the near future. Scholars led off the Program by committing to improving their grades by setting Improvement Goals. They will accomplish their goals by dedicating study hours for Math, Science, and English/Language Arts, taking personal responsibility for their academic growth.

Scholars got started on their Science Projects, selecting Research Topics, and completing and submitting their Research Plans. They are all anticipating and working diligently to successfully compete at the YMWIC Annual Science Expo on March 3, 2022, where they will present and defend their Research Projects to their families and the community.

Our 3rd and 4th grade Future Stars Scholars, under the watchful eye of STEM Educator Heather Leamon, built bridge structures out of pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden sticks. This hands-on activity allowed these young Scholars to gain a deeper understanding of engineering basics while creating bridge bases that could stand up, bear weight, and overcome structural problems that arose along the way. Read more.

We at YMWIC consider our Alumni to be our greatest ambassadors. After high school when they graduate from the Foundation, we follow and support them through college graduation (undergraduate and graduate degree programs) and their careers. We are excited to share our latest Alumni news!

Valeria Reynoso, YMWIC class of 2018, has completed two years at Delaware County Community College where she earned her Associates Degree in Science (Engineering). Valeria now attends Temple University where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. She has worked at Exelon Power Labs during the past four summers.

Valeria is a first-generation college student, and is excited to be the first person in her family to attend and finish college. We are certain that only her family can be prouder of her than we are at YMWIC!

Congratulations to YMWIC Alum Trevor Staples, who graduated from Penn State University this summer, where he majored in Human Development. Trevor states, “I had a pretty unorthodox college experience, to say the least; but what I enjoyed most was exploring campus, as well as meeting and interacting with great professors!”

Since graduating from Penn State, Trevor is moving into the HR Department at his current place of employment to gain useful skills for his career. In the next few years, Trevor will pursue a master’s degree and would like to get Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification.

We are also proud to mention that Trevor is the first in his immediate family to graduate with a four-year degree. Well done, Trevor!

Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC): YMWIC Foundation, Inc. is eligible to receive funds from the EITC Program which is administered by Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. We thank those businesses that donate their EITC funding to YMWIC Foundation and encourage others to consider directing funding to our community nonprofit that provides college and career preparation for K-12 students; empowers their families; counseling, financial support and internships for YMWIC college alumni; and enriches our communities by developing a talented and skilled workforce. Please contact Rick Roberts at (610) 340-2844 if you would like to consider our YMWIC Foundation, Inc. as the recipient of your company's EITC funds.

Amazon Smile and YMWIC: Using Amazon Smile costs you nothing but can make a world of difference to our Scholars and the resources we provide. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. When making online purchases from Amazon, simply search for YMWIC Foundation or YMIC Foundation. Your product cost will not increase when donating to YMWIC.