Lives Made Better
Mission:
Exemplary Because:
To mentor at-risk children into successful adulthood via academics and social, spiritual and extracurricular development using measurable educational goals.
At an average cost of $5,700 per year/per child, the By The Hand Club for Kids provides comprehensive, whole-child after-school assistance and mentors each child through high school, college and beyond. In 12 years it has grown from 16 students to over 895 currently served.
I
t really does take a village. Fact—kids do better academically, socially, spiritually and emotionally when they are surrounded by a support system invested in their development. By The Hand is just that—a program in some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods that raises kids out of poverty and helplessness toward a solid future. “In the late 1990s, I was a partner and president of a successful ad agency, just a few blocks from Cabrini-Green,” says founder and president Donnita Travis. She started volunteering with kids through her church, and left advertising to start By The Hand Club for Kids in March 2001—with 16 kids and one paid staff member. Travis herself has never taken a salary. “By The Hand and its mission are synonymous—to target children in need and mentor them so that they can make positive changes to their overall wellbeing,” she says. The organization’s holistic approach includes a structured after-school program, safe transportation, healthy snacks and hot meals, homework and tutoring assistance, counseling, health care and education, and a college staff specialist to encourage a college-going culture. —Kelly Konrad
22
february 2013
21_feature_new.indd 22
Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund Educational Innovation (Local)
Mission:
Exemplary because:
To provide life-altering scholarships and support to economically disadvantaged Chicago teens with strong academic potential to assure their success in college preparatory high schools, through college and beyond.
By collaborating closely with a scholar’s family, school and other nonprofits, DMSF leverages $4,000 per year partial scholarships into hundreds of thousands of dollars of financial aid per student by college graduation.
C
ollege isn’t an option unless a student has had a high school education that prepares him or her for the academic rigors of college. The Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund gives economically disadvantaged students financial and educational assistance so they can attend a college preparatory high school. The fund also provides critical support including summer academic assistance, tutoring, mentoring, summer employment options and college counseling. Executive Director Andy David reflects on their mission: “I had the opportunity to listen to several of our scholars speak at an event,” he says. “Seeing the kids who had been given this opportunity made me realize that this organization is truly making a difference. A lot of people talk about it, but we’re doing it.” Ellen Yiadom, a former DMSF Scholar who now works as a lawyer for Vedder Price in Chicago, says that without DMSF she couldn’t have afforded to enroll in St. Ignatius. “My parents’ desire to see me succeed and all my hard work and determination were simply not enough to get me past the finish line,” she says. “I would not have been able to succeed without that help.” —Susan B. Noyes
(left) Photo by russell ingram photography; (right) photo courtesy of dmsf
By the Hand Club for Kids
makeitbetter.net
1/14/13 3:18 PM