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Would you like to help change "what’s in the stars" for middle school students living in underserved communities?
Dear <<First Name>>,
Join Stocks in the Future (SIF) and help “change what’s in the stars” for nearly 1,000 middle-school students in the Baltimore Metro region. Our mission is to help students, mainly in urban areas, become financially literate and improve their academics.
At our annual benefit in March, keynote speaker, NYT bestselling author of "Grow Regardless" and entreQuest CEO Joe Mechlinski shared his personal journey – one that echoes the stories of our SIF students. Like many we serve, Joe hailed from an East Baltimore neighborhood where dropout rates are high and upward mobility low. Graduating Patterson High and heading across town to attend The Johns Hopkins University was what he described as “my changing my stars moment...it was a dream come true.”
SIF enters the lives of students at a critical juncture, guides them to understand new possibilities, and gives them tools to make their own dreams realities. Kids as young as age 11 commit to regularly attending school and improving grades. From there they build personal stock portfolios, asking themselves: Do I invest in Coke or Facebook? EA Sports or Disney? Should I diversify or not?
By providing financial literacy and incentives we offer middle schoolers a skill set rarely developed in public schools, or even at colleges and universities. Read the new issue of our newsletter for stories of students rising above their challenges with the help of SIF.
During the event, Joe explained that he alone didn’t rise above or change "what was in his stars" – he had daily encouragement from his mom and many others along the way. Perhaps you can identify with this, too. SIF continues to be a voice of encouragement to students who need that positive voice in their daily lives.
As Joe put it, “SIF gives kids the ability to manage their lives in a different way, not come from scarcity, not have their backs against the wall.” Recent events in Baltimore give us pause to consider major issues affecting our city’s youth like poverty, education and community investment. Will you take action, join your voice to ours, and help SIF students change "what’s in their stars?" We invite you to be part of our cause by giving a tax-deductible donation (please see the top right corner of this message for ways to give). Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Lange-Thernes
Executive Director
P.S. If you’ve already given an annual contribution to SIF this year, our sincere thanks! Regardless of whether or not you choose to give, please take a look at the 2014-15 issue of SIF Exchange, our annual newsletter.
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