Blog – Akron Promise

Just Another Reason Life is Good in Kenmore by Daralee Ghinder

On Saturday July 14th, Akron Promise held two fundraisers for the
Kenmore-Garfield Stark State Scholarship Fund.

The golf outing at Mud Run Golf Course was blessed by good weather
and a supportive group of golfers. In the evening, there was a Dessert
Party at the Live Music Now! venue. Peach cobbler, strawberry shortcake
and a s’mores bar were big hits, along with the live music of JT Buck,
KHG Graduate Chris Miller, Greg Milo and Jared Soster.

Tom and Daralee Ghinder, founders of Akron Promise, are incredibly
humbled by, and appreciative of, the generous support of this
community, the administrative staff at KGHS, Summit County Executive
Eileen Shapiro and the friends, family and others who helped in the
success of these events.

The big announcement of the night was that Akron Promise will commit
to scholarships through 2022. This means that as soon as this year’s 9th
graders start high school, they know there is a tuition free path to postsecondary success. This scholarship is currently offered to ten graduating seniors at KGHS to attend Stark State College.

Please consider adding your time and resources to Akron Promise,
as they continue to grow and expand opportunities for Kenmore-Garfi eld
students. The continuation of the scholarship is made possible, in
part, by the generous contributions of these local Kenmore
businesses: Beneficial Building Services, The Guitar Department,
Showcase Meats, Kenmore Komics & Games, and Olde 97 Cafe.
Please support these businesses, as they support our youth.

Dessert Party at the Live Music Now! Venue

Published in the Kenmore Connection, Summer 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 3)

Akron Promise Announces 10 Scholarships and Summer Fundraisers by Daralee Ghinder

In February, Akron Promise, in partnership with The Stark State Foundation, announced a scholarship to benefit TEN 2018 Kenmore-Garfield High School graduates. The Stark State Foundation will match donations to Akron Promise up to $10,000 to fund these scholarships.
The scholarship will cover books, fees and tuition that is not covered by other aid. It is renewable for two full years – enough to earn an industry certificate or associate’s degree.

This is where YOU come in! Akron Promise is hosting TWO fundraisers on July 14th, 2018.

First will be a golf outing, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, at Mud Run Golf Course. Tickets are $70 per person or $280 to sign up a foursome. We will have door prizes, proximity contests, and lunch. All proceeds will go directly to scholarships for Kenmore-Garfield Graduates!

Next, will be a Dessert Party, from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm, at 952 Kenmore Boulevard (the Live Music Now building). Tickets are $25 per person and your ticket includes a variety of desserts, (catered by Akron Public Schools culinary students), a drink voucher, and plenty of local entertainment. This will be a fun, casual night out.

If you are unable to make it to either of these fundraisers, but would like to make a donation to this scholarship fund, please mail your donation to: ATTN: Akron Promise, Kenmore-Garfield High School, 2140 13th Street SW, Akron, OH 44314.

Akron Promise will continue their efforts to shape a community involved culture of education which includes providing tuition free paths to post secondary degrees and certificates for all students in Akron. For more information and/or to purchase tickets please visit our website at www.akronpromise.org, contact us on Facebook, or via e-mail.

Published in the Kenmore Connection, Spring, 2018 (Volume 19, Issue 2)

Akron Promise Announces Scholarship fundraisers!

Saturday, July 14, 2018 – 9am – 2pm = GOLF OUTING (Get tickets)

Mud Run Golf Course. Tickets are $70 per person or $280 to sign up a foursome. We will have door prizes, proximity contests, and lunch.

Saturday, July 14, 2018 – 7:30pm-10pm = DESSERT PARTY (Get Tickets)

952 Kenmore Blvd (the Live Music Now building). Tickets are $25 per person and your ticket includes a variety of desserts, (catered by Kenmore-Garfield High School culinary students), a drink voucher, and plenty of local entertainment. This will be a fun, casual night out.

All proceeds from both events will go directly to scholarships for Kenmore-Garfield Graduates!

If you are unable to make it to either of the fundraisers, but would like to make a donation to this scholarship fund, please mail your donation to:

ATTN: AKRON PROMISE
Kenmore-Garfield High School
2140 13th St SW
Akron, OH 44314.

Donations can also be made directly to our FaceBook page.

Akron Promise Needs You! by Tom Ghinder

You can change lives. You can help break the poverty cycle. You are wanted and needed by students at Kenmore-Garfield High School!

In mid-November, Tom and Daralee Ghinder, founders of Akron Promise, set up a table outside the KGHS cafeteria. They had one simple sign that read, “After high school… got plans?” Students were asked about their plans after they left KGHS and if they’d like to sign up to have a mentor to coach them to their goals. Fifty-six students signed up and twenty-five have returned the required permission slips. The number was a pleasant surprise and more mentors are needed right away.

No experience is necessary! Akron Promise will provide mentors with all the needed resources. United Way’s iC.A.R.E. mentoring program is providing mentor background checks, fingerprinting, and a one-hour training session. The time commitment is flexible, anywhere from one to three hours per month. Students will be matched with mentors, based
on their backgrounds, interests and job choices. Mentors will meet with their students at a mutually convenient time, in or out of school.
Akron Promise is working to shape a community-involved culture of education in Akron.

We’re working to give students and families access appropriate supports, resources and opportunities. For more information, or to sign up, please call Tom Ghinder at 330-329-4855, email at tghinder@gmail.com, or go to http://bit.ly/AkronPromiseKGSA.

Published in Kenmore Connection, Winter 2018, Volume 19, Issue 2

Akron Promise Announces Kenmore-Garfield Stark State College Scholarship!

Akron Promise, in conjunction with the Stark State College Foundation, has launched a scholarship to benefit the graduates of Kenmore-Garfield High School.

The Kenmore-Garfield Stark State College Scholarship will provide scholarships for up to two years toward tuition and books for the Kenmore-Garfield Class of 2018 to attend Stark State College in the fall of 2018. To be eligible, students must graduate from Kenmore-Garfield High School, be Pell eligible, reside in the city of Akron, and pursue a full time certificate or degree at Stark State College.

There will be up to ten scholarships awarded to 2018 Kenmore-Garfield High School Graduates.

This is a pilot program for Akron Promise. Our hope is that this scholarship will be expanded to more students and more Akron Public Schools’ high school graduates in the future.

More information is available here, or by contacting Tom Ghinder at TGhinder@gmail.com.

The application is available directly here.

Akron Promise publishes first video seeking mentors.

Today, Akron Promise has launched a social media campaign to recruit 25 new mentors for students at Kenmore-Garfield High school in Akron. Our objective with this program is to assist these students with identifying their post high school objectives AND help them reach their goals.

More information on this program can be found here.

To sign up, fill out the form available on this page.

Watch our video here.

The Campaign for Free College Tuition Reports Progress in 2017

In the latest Blog post from The Campaign for Free College Tuition, they reported some success in state policy across the country in 2017. Akron Promise is dedicated to working with the State of Ohio to find the right program to implement here to enhance our economic opportunity and the economic development of our state.

From the Blog Post:

— Tennessee extended its first in the nation Promise program to all adults who want to return to a community or technical college to get their certificate or degree this fall. We expect that their Tennessee Reconnect program, which was discussed in detail with state leaders at our May workshop in Denver, will be copied by other states as well, just as the Tennessee Promise has become the model several state Promise programs – including Nevada and Rhode Island – enacted this year.

— New York’s Excelsior Scholarship program made that state the first to extend the concept of free tuition to its four-year institutions, for students at any level of undergraduate studies.

— California’s new College Promise Grant will be the first to offer a “first dollar” scholarship at the state level when the program is funded for the Fall 2018 term. This means that, assuming funds are appropriated for those grants in next year’s budget, Pell and Cal Grant eligible freshmen community college students who take a full course load can use these need-based funds on books, transportation, and other costs of attendance.

Their entire review is available here.

PromiseNet 2017 Preview

Last week, the Upjohn Institute hosted a information webinar, “Learning from a Decade of College Promise Scholarships”, on data, metrics, and the status of Promise programs in the US. I invite you to view and consider how, together, we can bring a Promise program to Akron and the affect such a program would have on our community.

Here are some links mentioned in the webinar:

Buchanan Promise
El Dorado Promise
Richmond Promise
Detroit Promise
Michigan Promise Zone Designations
Kalamazoo Promise

Registration is still open for PromiseNet 20 17, November 6 and 7, in Kalamazoo, MI for those interested in attending.

Fall 2017 Update – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Thank you for your continued interest and support of Akron Promise. We have had an exciting few months since our last update, including a number of meetings with various civic and education leaders in Akron and Summit County. We’ve refocused our efforts for the coming year. Here is a summary:

Kenmore-Garfield High School Education Advocates
Instead of tackling the entire district, we’re starting with one school. It’s known that at-risk kids (and at-risk families) need lots of help with post-secondary navigation. We are working with Akron Public Schools to help 25 seniors navigate the requirements to succeed after they leave high school. The focus will be on working with the students and families so that they know about job and educational opportunities, completing the FAFSA, applying to and visiting colleges, and preparing for life after high school. To do this work, WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! Please contact us via the methods mentioned at the bottom of this update if you are interested in this important work. No experience or prior knowledge is required!

PromiseNet 2017 Invitation
PromiseNet 2017 will take place in Kalamazoo, MI on November 6 and 7th. PromiseNet is an annual gathering of people seeking to transform their communities by making a long-term investment in education. Akron Promise has attended the last three conferences with other local education stakeholders. Each year there is more to learn about how to develop and shape a program. There is something to learn for everyone! If you would like to attend with our group from Akron, please let us know via the contact information at the bottom of this update. More information about PromiseNet 2017 can be found here.

Scholarships
The cornerstone of every Promise program is to remove the financial barrier from post-secondary educational attainment. We are learning about current scholarships, focused on graduates of Akron Public Schools, to make them more accessible for students. More dollars for students has been, and will continue to be, one of our goals.

Neighborhood Approach
A beautiful thing about Akron is that people are always willing to help! In addition to city, state and county assistance, we continue to find out about smaller, grass-roots organizations offering a variety of assistance to Akronites. This year, we will be looking at resources in the Kenmore Garfield cluster neighborhoods and work with leaders in them to find ways to connect people in need to the help available.

You can’t just throw scholarship money at kids and expect them to succeed. In addition to others in our city, we know how important the wrap-around supports are in getting our graduates enrolled, employed or enlisted. We all need to support our kids from cradle to career – it truly takes a village. If you’d like a role in Akron’s village, please contact us via the links below.

Read about how you can support scholarships for Akron Public School students here via Amazon Smile.

And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed as we continue to shape the community involved culture of education in Akron!

To be sure to stay informed on future updates, please join our official mailing list by signing up here!

For further information, please contact Tom Ghinder at TGhinder@gmail.com or (330) 329-4855.