Marv Bailey is the Chairman of the Board for the Techpoint Foundation. He recently wrote this letter to supporters to give them insight into how the Techpoint Foundation is making a big impact on the Indianapolis community. We wanted to republish the letter here on the blog.
As the 2011 Board Chair, I want to take a few minutes to share just one of the many heartwarming stories from our New Tech High project, and introduce our next, equally inspiring social venture project:
Joe Crandall, age 18
Joe Crandall has not had it easy in life, but you might not know it based on his life’s trajectory. Joe lost his mother at the age of 14, and has never had a meaningful relationship with his father who lives in another state. His maternal grandmother stepped in, though it has been tough for both of them because of limited physical and financial support. A shy, introverted youth in many ways, Joe came to believe that his education was the only way to improve their lives. He came to New Tech High in 2007, hoping for a chance to experience a new kind of learning. What he found was so much more: a family of students, teachers, staff and TechPoint Foundation mentors who supported him in ways that traditional education simply does not allow. Today, Joe attributes his academic success to constant challenges presented through rigorous coursework and dual-credit opportunities at IUPUI. Joe will graduate in two short weeks as the Valedictorian with a 4.1 GPA beating out 2500 other Arsenal Tech High School students. Joe, a first generation high school graduate, will attend Purdue in the fall to study biology on a full ride scholarship. He continues to work closely with the TechPoint Foundation College Coach who is helping him navigate the college enrollment and scholarship process.
Our New Tech High project is wrapping up, as Joe and the first class of seniors start new chapters in their post-secondary lives. After four years, countless hours of staff and volunteer time, and more than $375,000 in financial support, TechPoint Foundation’s investment has paid off with 80% of our seniors graduating this spring. New Tech High will graduate 34% more students than the IPS district average and will send more students directly into post-secondary education opportunities: 75% of New Tech graduates have already enrolled in colleges or universities across the state.
Thank you to those of you who gave your time, talent and treasure to help make this school a success. Now, let me introduce you to our next project.
Robots and Real-World Impact
After a competitive grant process, the Foundation selected IndianaFIRST as its next multi-year venture. IndianaFIRST inspires young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting extracurricular robotics programs that build science, engineering and technology skills.
We are excited by the fast-paced, real-world applications of competitive robotics programs and their impact on youth. We’ll leverage TechPoint Foundation’s human and financial resources within our communities to partner with IndianaFIRST, helping this organization achieve scale in Indiana through:
Since 2001, TechPoint Foundation has served as an intermediary between the Indianapolis technology community and underserved populations. We connect people and dollars, multiplying resources to help programs such as IndianaFIRST influence youth. We need your help to build the talented, creative workforce of the future for all of our Indiana communities.
We look forward to sharing this next chapter with you.
As the 2011 Board Chair, I want to take a few minutes to share just one of the many heartwarming stories from our New Tech High project, and introduce our next, equally inspiring social venture project:
Joe Crandall, age 18
Joe Crandall has not had it easy in life, but you might not know it based on his life’s trajectory. Joe lost his mother at the age of 14, and has never had a meaningful relationship with his father who lives in another state. His maternal grandmother stepped in, though it has been tough for both of them because of limited physical and financial support. A shy, introverted youth in many ways, Joe came to believe that his education was the only way to improve their lives. He came to New Tech High in 2007, hoping for a chance to experience a new kind of learning. What he found was so much more: a family of students, teachers, staff and TechPoint Foundation mentors who supported him in ways that traditional education simply does not allow. Today, Joe attributes his academic success to constant challenges presented through rigorous coursework and dual-credit opportunities at IUPUI. Joe will graduate in two short weeks as the Valedictorian with a 4.1 GPA beating out 2500 other Arsenal Tech High School students. Joe, a first generation high school graduate, will attend Purdue in the fall to study biology on a full ride scholarship. He continues to work closely with the TechPoint Foundation College Coach who is helping him navigate the college enrollment and scholarship process.
Our New Tech High project is wrapping up, as Joe and the first class of seniors start new chapters in their post-secondary lives. After four years, countless hours of staff and volunteer time, and more than $375,000 in financial support, TechPoint Foundation’s investment has paid off with 80% of our seniors graduating this spring. New Tech High will graduate 34% more students than the IPS district average and will send more students directly into post-secondary education opportunities: 75% of New Tech graduates have already enrolled in colleges or universities across the state.
Thank you to those of you who gave your time, talent and treasure to help make this school a success. Now, let me introduce you to our next project.
Robots and Real-World Impact
After a competitive grant process, the Foundation selected IndianaFIRST as its next multi-year venture. IndianaFIRST inspires young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting extracurricular robotics programs that build science, engineering and technology skills.
We are excited by the fast-paced, real-world applications of competitive robotics programs and their impact on youth. We’ll leverage TechPoint Foundation’s human and financial resources within our communities to partner with IndianaFIRST, helping this organization achieve scale in Indiana through:
- expansion of extracurricular robotics programs for K-12 youth,
- increased opportunities for mentors and volunteers to inspire students to pursue STEM careers,
- connection of corporations and community members to STEM related philanthropic opportunities,
- establishment of competitive grants for student teams in need of initial and sustaining financial support, and
- creation of collaborative training and educational spaces to support year-round STEM programming.
Since 2001, TechPoint Foundation has served as an intermediary between the Indianapolis technology community and underserved populations. We connect people and dollars, multiplying resources to help programs such as IndianaFIRST influence youth. We need your help to build the talented, creative workforce of the future for all of our Indiana communities.
We look forward to sharing this next chapter with you.
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