Welcome to the Aim High Reach, the newsletter of Aim High! Stay connected with Aim High throughout the year with highlights from the program, news and happenings from our headquarters, and information on the many ingredients that make the Aim High recipe work for 23 years and counting.
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View more editions of the Aim High Reach: Sept 08 , Nov 08 , Dec 08, Feb 09, March 09, May 09, June 09
6 Clicks in 6 Minutes to Support Aim High
Aim High Donors Launch Sponsor-a-Campus Challenge with $100,000 gift
Aim High Announces Free Events for Spring Break 2009
Preparations Underway for Aim High’s 24th Summer
Lick-Wilmerding HS Showcases Talent, Generosity; Raises $1,000 for Aim High
Campus Spotlight: AH-Urban College Tours Show Students Path to College
6 Clicks in 6 Minutes to Support Aim High
Aim High is working to close a gap in our funding for 2009. Here are 6 things you can do online – in just a few minutes! – to support Aim High, get the word out, and help us raise the funds that will ensure 1,000 kids benefit from great programs this summer.
- Make a donation online at www.networkforgood.com.
- Buy a Farm Fresh to You farm box. $15 donation for Aim High, fresh produce for you. Use promotional code 4749 when you purchase - a single delivery or a whole summer’s worth of fruits and veggies supports Aim High this summer. www.farmfreshtoyou.com
- Build your own online fundraising empire. Are you running a marathon? Biking a bike-a-thon? Watching a movie-a-thon? Turn your hard work into hard cash by asking your friends and family to sponsor you in support of Aim High. Check out www.firstgiving.com to build your fundraising page in minutes.
- Volunteer your time. Are you a video whiz? A fine photographer? A skilled typist? A crack public speaker? A web design genius? Drop us an email to offer your services or start a conversation about other ways you can get involved.
- Buy something from the online store. Wearing Aim High gear is a great way to show your support. (Hey, we know you’re paparazzi bait.) Check it out at www.zazzle.com/aimhigh1986
- Forward this newsletter to a friend. Spread the word about the great work Aim High is doing. Add a personal note to let them know that Aim High is a cause you care about.
Thanks for all that you do for Aim High! If you have questions about these or other ideas for supporting Aim High in challenging economic times, contact Kat White at (415) 551-2333 or kat@aimhigh.org.
Donor Spotlight: Mark Lampert and Susan Byrd Launch Sponsor-a-Campus Challenge with $100,000 gift
Aim High currently faces a funding gap that threatens to shut sites and turn away students at a time when they need us most. As the finish line for Aim High’s 2009 fundraising approaches, Mark Lampert and Susan Byrd have stepped up to ensure the success of an Aim High site – and to challenge Aim High’s donor community to do the same.
Following the January 2009 event where Mark heard from Oakland USD administrator Vince Matthews, Aim High parent Pally Cottonham, and Aim High board member Glenn Shannon about Aim High’s incredible impact, Mark and Susan decided to take action to support Aim High students most in need.
Their $100,000 gift will sponsor Aim High’s SF Community School campus, which serves 100 students from San Francisco’s Mission and Excelsior neighborhoods. Under the leadership of co-directors Wendy Ginsburg and Stacey Thomas - both math teachers - AH-SF Community produces some of the best math and science results in the Aim High network; thanks to Mark and Susan’s gift, their students will continue to get incredible academic and social support at no cost this summer.
Mark and Susan have seen what Aim High’s powerful learning community can do for low-income youth and families. In light of the enormous financial challenges facing nonprofits and schools this year, they have chosen to put their support behind the summer program that has been changing lives in the Bay Area for 23 years – and they hope others in the Aim High donor community will do the same.
Aim High is seeking full sponsorships – up to $100,000 – to fully underwrite our sites in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley and Chinatown neighborhood and in Oakland’s high-need Fruitvale district. Partial sponsorships – up to $50,000 –will supplement existing support for 8 other Aim High sites, including our Environmental Education site in the Marin Headlands.
If others rise to the occasion in 2009, Mark and Susan will consider renewing their challenge next year. “Aim High’s impact on kids is incredible to see. We want the Bay Area community to do whatever it takes to ensure these programs continue,” says Mark of the challenge.
To learn how you can sponsor or partially sponsor a campus this year, contact Laura Foulke at (415) 551-2312 or Alec Lee at (415) 551-2323.
Aim High Announces Free Events for Spring Break 2009
Summer is not the only time that Bay Area kids need fun, free, skill-building opportunities. For the first time this year, Aim High students will be taking part in three spring break excursions that showcase the best of the Bay Area:
Sea Kayaking – 60 Aim High students will take half-day kayaking excursion around the San Francisco shoreline. Led by guides from UCSF Outdoors Unlimited, students will view AT&T Park, the Bay Bridge, and more while learning about the aqua-ecology of the Bay.
Ropes Course – 15 lucky Aim High students will spend the day at the ropes course at Ft. Miley near Lake Merced in San Francisco. They’ll have the opportunity to climb trees, walk tightropes and more, all while building communication and leadership skills.
Exploratorium – Through Aim High’s partnership with the Exploratorium, Aim High graduates, their friends and family can enjoy a free all-day pass at the Exploratorium, where they can discover the physical sciences through playful exhibits that draw on their senses of touch, sight, and sound.
For more information on Spring Break trips, contact Kim Shannon at (415) 551-2320 or by email: kshannon@aimhigh.org.
Preparations Underway for Aim High’s 24th Summer
Applications from students and teachers are rolling in as Aim High gears up for our 24th summer in the Bay Area.
This year’s summer program will run from June 29th through July 31st. Teachers will begin work on June 22nd for Faculty Institute, a pre-program week of planning and professional development.
With a high number of last year’s teachers returning for another summer at Aim High, sites anticipate that classes and activities will be strong under the leadership of experienced faculty.
New teacher applicants can find job descriptions and the online teacher application here.
Aim High is also introducing an online application for students this year. Both the online version and printable .pdf applications in 3 languages are available here.
The deadline for student applications is April 24th, 2009. Applicants will know if they have been accepted beginning on May 4th.
In the works for Summer 2009 are new math and science curricula for the upper grades to better prepare students for the transition to high school academics. Aim High will also build out college and career awareness programs and prepare younger teachers to be mentors adolescent youth.
Despite challenging economic times, Aim High anticipates a great summer of building academic skills and developing young leaders among Bay Area youth who need us now more than ever. To learn what you can do to support Aim High in Summer 2009, contact Alec Lee, Executive Director, at (415) 551-2323 or by email at alee@aimhigh.org.
Lick-Wilmerding HS Showcases Talent, Generosity; Raises $1,000 for Aim High
On February 20th, 2009, Lick-Wilmerding High School showcased the talent of its students and the generosity of its community with the Aim High Showcase, a talent show in support of Aim High.
A pay-what-you-wish donation in lieu of a ticket price netted more than $1,000 in contributions.
Aim High has long been a part of the community at Lick-Wilmerding, a private college preparatory high school located near San Francisco’s Ingleside neighborhood and City College. Alec Lee, then a member of the Lick-Wilmerding faculty, founded Aim High at Lick in the summer of 1986. Lick has served as an Aim High campus and supported Aim High every year since.
Lee attended the talent show as both representative of the summer program and proud parent; his son Kelly performed in the show with his band, Milo Grey.
Graduates of Aim High, including current Lick-Wilmerding students, spoke during the show and shared with the Lick-Wilmerding community what Aim High meant to them. One graduate described how Aim High inspired her to think about different options for high school and to get on track for college; several shared how much they loved the teachers at Aim High and how excited they were about learning.
Aim High is grateful for the incredible support Lick has shown over the years and for the community-minded students and families who continue to find creative ways to support Aim High. Special thanks are extended to Anya Richkind, the event’s organizer and mastermind, as well as Eva Frank, Ravi Lau, and Kate Boyd for their support.
Campus Spotlight: AH-Urban College Tours Show Students Path to College
Select San Francisco high schoolers attend The Urban School of San Francisco for its college prep curriculum and a focus on future success. With its campus tradition of College Tours, Aim High’s summer program at the Urban School draws upon the school’s college-preparatory focus to provide high-need middle school kids a taste of college life.
Each year, scores of AH-Urban students venture out to Bay Area colleges and universities – including SF State, UC Berkeley, San Francisco University, Academy of Art University, and more – to learn about the college experience.
The day begins with a diverse panel of college graduates, representing different backgrounds, careers, and experiences of the road to college and beyond. “We ask our community to reach out and find people in their lives who have an interesting story to tell,” says Site Director Thomas Jacquez.
After the panel, groups of 20-25 students travel with their teachers to various university campuses in San Francisco and the East Bay. Students tour the campus, check out classrooms, visit with students in the quad or student center, and get a feel for college life.
Throughout the day, students are encouraged to practice asking good questions. “Our kids often join up with the admitted freshmen on the official campus tour,” says Jacquez, “and the incoming college students tell us they learn a lot from the questions our kids ask.”
Once returned to campus, Aim High students enjoy a celebratory feast and make presentations to share what they learned to students who visited other universities.
For middle school students, many of whom may not believe that college is an option, an experience like AH-Urban’s College Tours Day is eye-opening. “The tours increase awareness,” says Jacquez. “They start talking about it. They find out what steps they need to take.”
Ultimately, Aim High Urban hopes that students will begin to see themselves as future college students. “The goal,” says Jacquez, “is to make students aware that college is accessible to them.”
To find out how you can support college awareness and accessibility at Aim High, contact Sandra Lee at (415) 551-2330 or sklee@aimhigh.org.
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View more editions of the Aim High Reach: Sept 08 , Nov 08 , Dec 08, Feb 09, May 09
Aim High is gearing up for another strong year serving Bay Area students and families - but we need your help to serve a thousand kids in a year when they need us most. Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues. To find out about other ways to support Aim High, visit Aim High's Support Page.
For more information on any of these topics, contact Kat White, Communications Coordinator, by email or phone: 415-551-2333.