#GivingTuesday for The Village at Ithaca

We are grateful to you and all of our supporters for a year of growth and impact here at The Village at Ithaca. The Village continues to be an essential voice and source of support for families and their students by expanding opportunities and access in our schools while offering academic supports and personal development programs to help students aspire and achieve to the best of their abilities. In 2015, with your support and through direct service and collaborative partners, we have provided programming to 112 students, and achieved the following:

• Matched 10 families through our Family Advocacy Program during the 2014-2015 academic school year, and set a goal to match 15 families during this academic year. Our program evaluations produced testimony of efficacy from families ranging from “without the committed assistance and support from the Village at Ithaca, I have no idea how my son and I would navigate his academic success” to “the Village at Ithaca staff sat with me and listened to me, calmed me down, and brainstormed multiple solutions to support my family, while offering an Advocate to join me at school meetings”.

• Conducted a five-week Summer Achievement Program providing academic support in Math, English, SAT preparation, Chemistry, Spanish and more. Our 16 Achievement Coaches volunteered their time to assist students in avoiding “summer slide” by keeping them focused while encouraging them to have fun! This program has grown from just 6 students in 2012 to 28 students in 2015, and we continue to offer tutoring services throughout the school year. We hope to increase our capacity even further as our recent partnership with the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) develops.

• Hosted a Path of Success Seminar with speaker Alfred Watts for 8th-12th grade students to foster academic and personal development of students and inspire administrators and faculty. Students reported feeling inspired to reach farther, achieve their dreams, and they described the seminar as “a 6-hour life changing experience that could change your outlook on life,” “eye-opening,” and one student even commented, “I plan to stay focused and don’t get distracted.”

• Collaborated with the Cornell Public Service Center’s Let’s Get Ready! S.A.T. preparatory program to help students be college ready. Village at Ithaca continues to partner with this program to recruit students and better prepare them for standardized testing. We are currently working together with Cornell and the ICSD to register underrepresented students in a Science and Technology Entry Program.

• Reaffirmed our commitment to lifting every child and family to achievement through our “We Believe In You“ community event, which featured a vibrant panel discussion focused on continuing and developing conversations on public education and success for all students.

Our growth and fostering of student and family success were only possible because of your generosity and belief in our young people. We need your continued support to reach more families and students next year, as there are so many more students who could thrive with the Village’s programs.

Thank you in advance for supporting the vital work of the Village at Ithaca. On behalf of our board, staff, and the families we serve, best wishes during this season and throughout the coming new year.