IT'S TIME to get back to making weekly charitable contributions. And what better candidate for our dollars today than Yellowstone Academy, beneficiary of a very nice frontpager in last Sunday's Chronicle. Some snips:
[Eight] years into its mission, Yellowstone has found a way to . . . thrive and expand to serve 320 students at its nondenominational Christian campus.
Tuition is mandated to signify families' investment in Yellowstone's mission: helping prepare the city's poorest students for college. . . .
. . . .
"Dreams are the first thing that die [read dies] in extreme poverty," said Yellowstone's executive director, Kim Hansen.
In the shadow of downtown . . . Yellowstone . . . uses some of the same techniques as other well-publicized reform efforts: smaller classes, longer school days, mentoring and tutoring.
Like its peers in Houston, Yellowstone has a waiting list hundreds of names long.
. . . .
Students are provided busing, uniforms, health screenings and counseling services.
An army of volunteers keeps Yellowstone going, handling everything from checking out library books to administering employee retirement programs. Churches, corporations, foundations and private donors handle the heavy lifting, chipping in roughly $4 million a year to keep the school open.
(Jennifer Radcliffe, "Kids free to dream at school for poorest of poor," Houston Chronicle, October 11, 2010)
What better way to turn a few charitable bucks into better lives?
You can send your check to Yellowstone Academy, 3000 Trulley Street, Houston, Texas 77004.
Comments