Friday, July 16, 2010

How You Can Help

UrbanFUTURE is gearing up for a very exciting school year this fall. After last week's successful interview weekend, we are getting ready to welcome new Team Leaders to the organization in August to begin the acculturation process at new school sites.

We have been hitting the volunteer recruiting trail hard at local cafes, major corporations, farmers' markets and outdoor concerts. We expect to be doubling our volunteer corps for the upcoming year from 200-250 to 400-500.

Finally, we're finalizing our development plans for the start of the new fiscal year on August 1st. This October, we will be conducting our first ever volunteer-driven campaign to raise money and referrals. In conjunction with the campaign, UrbanFUTURE will be holding its inaugural trivia night in November.

With so much happening at UrbanFUTURE, now, more than ever, we need your support. There are several ways you can help us out. You can sign up to volunteer as a tutor or mentor. Tutors and mentors spend an hour a week with a student at one of our school sites. Tutors focus on helping student's with homework and helping them improve their grades. Mentors work with students on goal-setting, character development and literacy. Click here to learn more about becoming a tutor or mentor and fill out an application.

If you are unable to volunteer one hour each week, but you would still like to help out, UrbanFUTURE is getting ready to start a "Friends of"-type group. This group will help to promote UrbanFUTURE, assist with fundraising events, make calls to thank donors and advocate for UrbanFUTURE whenever and wherever possible. For those interested in getting involved in this group, please call Tim Weiss at (314)776-3434 or e-mail tim@urbanfuturestl.org.

You can also help us simply by connecting UrbanFUTURE with your family and friends, who might be open to learning more about UrbanFUTURE. One of the best ways UrbanFUTURE can expand its reach in the St. Louis community is by utilizing the networks of current supporters. This will help grow our base exponentially. Referrals can be sent to tim@urbanfuturestl.org.

Finally, we always need financial support. UrbanFUTURE provides its INSPIRE, IMPACT and Explore! programs at no cost to the school district or the students and families who participate in them. For only $10, a student is able to meet with a tutor for one week. $50 covers the cost for a student to participate in the Explore! program for 1 month. For $250 a student will be able to meet with a tutor for one semester. $500 will pay for a student to meet with a mentor for one quarter. $3,000 will cover the cost for a student to participate in INSPIRE, IMPACT and Explore for the entire year. To make a donation to UrbanFUTURE, you can do so online or by mailing your donation to:

UrbanFUTURE
3145 S. Grand Ave.
Ste. A
St. Louis, MO 63118

If you have any questions about making a gift to UrbanFUTURE, please contact Tim Weiss at tim@urbanfuturestl.org or (314)776-3434.

We appreciate your continued support of UrbanFUTURE's efforts to close the achievement gap. Together we are helping urban youth see and believe in their possibilities!

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