2019 Spring Luncheon a Success!https://waytogrow.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Thank-You-01.png25001250Susan CossetteSusan Cossettehttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/24aa069c9fd073ee93b24f6e7a844a41?s=96&d=blank&r=g
On Wednesday, May 8, more than 200 people joined us for our Annual Spring Luncheon at the Walker Art Center. Funds raised at the event support Way to Grow’s Spring mission of ensuring that every child is born healthy, stays healthy, and is prepared to succeed in school and life.
We were honored to welcome Dr. Kathlene Holmes Campbell as this this year’s keynote speaker. As Dr. Campbell noted during her remarks, it is important for us all to work together to ensure that all children receive a quality education. We need to allow students’ voices to be heard in the classroom, and for educators to dream big. Moreover, it is crucial for us to value and promote diversity in order to provide high-quality education that values all individuals and their experiences.
“Collectively, we have the answers,” said Dr. Campbell. “It just depends on whether we decide to move forward together.”
Way to Grow helps give children a strong start by connecting some of our community’s most isolated families to the resources they need and establish a more secure position at home, in school, and within the community.
Again, we are most grateful for the support of our generous donors: You are truly helping us move forward together to transform lives!
Looking to the Second Generation – How Transformative is Early Ed?https://waytogrow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/0K4A0429-scaled.jpg25601707Ivy MarsnikIvy Marsnikhttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ab576c09797e9f9d67fd5ff51d64d1d7?s=96&d=blank&r=g
Imagine a three-year old girl, born into poverty. Her parents may not have finished high school and statistically, it’s even less likely anyone from her family has ever graduated college. Let’s say she defies the odds and graduates high school on time, but shortly after, she becomes pregnant. She seeks help and finds herself at Way to Grow. As she grows more confident in her ability to create a different path for her child, she decides to go back to school, becoming a first generation college student.
It isn’t easy. She will face many challenges; How can I afford school? Who will care for my child when I’m in class? What about transportation? Where will I find the time to work, study, and raise my child on my own? The unfortunate reality is that a disproportionately low number of first-generation students succeed in college. However, there is a path forward.
Her daughter already has a childhood that looks much different than her own. She will reap the benefits of a childhood where her mother knows the importance of living healthy, reading with her child daily, and advocating for her daughter’s education. Her mother spends time with her to read and uses everyday experiences as an opportunity to teach. Her mother is involved in her school, and this little girl grows up knowing her mom is the number one advocate for her education. The bar has been raised. Education is no longer simply a choice, but an expectation. With this, a second generation is born. She learns to pick up the torch from where her mother left off, and continues to blaze forward on the path of educational attainment towards greater social opportunities – A hope we all share for our children.
Powerful isn’t it? The daughter in this story is more likely as a second generation college student to persist beyond three years of higher education, and that much closer to earning her bachelor’s degree; arguably the most important rung in the educational attainment ladder in terms of upward social mobility. This is why early childhood education and parent engagement matters. This is why Way to Grow matters.
Dr. Mary Dana Hinton, 15th president of the College of Saint Benedict will deliver a keynote address at the Way to Grow Spring Luncheon.
Way to Grow Presents Dr. Mary Hinton on the Key to School and Life Successhttps://waytogrow.org/wp-content/themes/movedo/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg150150Ivy MarsnikIvy Marsnikhttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ab576c09797e9f9d67fd5ff51d64d1d7?s=96&d=blank&r=g
Mark your calendars! Dr. Mary Dana Hinton, 15th president of the College of Saint Benedict will deliver a keynote address at the Way to Grow Spring Luncheon. In a time of challenges, her one hope is to improve access to education – starting early, providing families with holistic support with access to intentional programs as a way to ensure success. We are excited to hear Dr. Hinton share her personal experiences and passion for helping families achieve success from prenatal through college.
Dr. Hinton earned a Ph.D. in religion and religious education with high honors from Fordham University, a Master of Arts degree in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Williams College. She has extensive administrative experience in Catholic higher education, national experience with non-profit K-12 education management and school development, and a philanthropic background in the corporate sector. Dr. Hinton’s scholarship focuses on African American religious history, religious education, and leadership, strategic planning, assessment, and diversity in the academy. She is the author of “The Commercial Church: Black Churches and the New Religious Marketplace in America.”
Dr. Hinton is a member of the Minnesota Private College Council Board of Presidents, the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation Board of Directors, the International Women’s Forum of Minnesota, and the Bonner Foundation Presidents’ Advisory Council. Since 2012, she has taught in the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education doctoral program in higher education management.
Event details:
Way to Grow Spring Luncheon
at the Walker Art Center
Thursday, April 28, 2016
11:45-1:00 pm
This is a free event, however space is limited.
Save your seat today at waytogrow.org/events
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