
July is National Make a Difference to Children Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging positive actions that support our youth. During this month, people around the world are encouraged to come together to uplift the youngest members of our society.
By offering support, love, and resources, you can make a significant difference. You can do this by serving as a role model to a child you know, supporting organizations that help children, spending quality time with your own children, and promoting education and literacy. Another powerful way to support children is through volunteerism.
With that in mind, we want to take this opportunity to recognize a non-profit organization: Take Stock in Children — a Florida-based program that helps low-income, at-risk students break the cycle of poverty through education.
Founded in 1995, Take Stock in Children works to combat America’s persistent dropout rate by giving students the resources they need to graduate high school, attend college, earn a degree, and build successful futures. To date, the program has served more than 44,100 students, including:
- 8,000+ middle and high school students
- 7,000+ postsecondary scholars
- 10,319 mentors who have volunteered over 3 million mentoring hours, with an estimated value of more than $66 million
- $303 million in Florida Prepaid Foundation Project STARS College Scholarships awarded
Take Stock in Children has had 28 years of success in Nassau County alone, serving more than 800 students and awarding over $8 million in scholarships. Students in the program meet weekly with a caring mentor, receive personalized college support, and commit to a TSIC contract to maintain good attendance and grades, uphold a minimum GPA, attend college readiness programs, and remain drug- and crime-free.
Nassau County’s Take Stock in Children’s Executive Director, Robin Lentz, stated, “Take Stock Nassau has helped hundreds of local students break the cycle of poverty through mentoring, success coaching, and rewarding students’ hard work with four-year tuition and dorm scholarships. We are grateful for the support we receive from the community from our volunteer mentors and generous donors”.
Ms. Lentz invites anyone wishing to be a mentor to reach out to Take Stock in Children at (904) 432-8584.
Children need positive influences and mentors to help guide them, but not every child has someone like that in their life. Could you be the person they are missing? You might just be the one who helps guide a child to a bright and successful future.
Learn more today at https://www.takestockinchildren.org/.