Class Breakthrough New York: 15 Years of Success New York the world needs us to be successful Breakthrough New York: Road to Success Sam Marks started first Breakthrough New York class, then called Summerbridge, at The Town School 2001 1999 2004 2005 BTNY endowment BTNY hires its second full-time Rhea Wong serves as established employee Teaching Fellow Rhea Wong 2006 2007 2008 2009 BTNY is incorporated joins the team as a separate 501(c)(3) First BTNY student comes back as Teaching Fellow Summerbridge becomes Launch of 6-year model of Edwin Gould Foundation Breakthrough New York to support through high school provides BTNY with independent better reflect its year-round office space in Lower Manhattan 2010 6-year commitment 2013 2012 2015 First class of BTNY students graduates from college First BTNY alumnus BTNY opens second site, at Opening of third BTNY joins full-time staff Bishop Loughlin Memorial High site in the Bronx! School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn New York the world needs us to be successful Welcome Letter The year was 1999. Bill Clinton was This is a year not only to reflect on our As you discover the stories that unfold in the President. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was achievements, but also to look ahead, to build, to pages ahead, we hope they inspire you to the most popular television show. Miss USA was grow, and to chart new and better paths for future contribute your time, energy and resources to from New York. A gallon of gas cost $1.30. And a Breakthrough New York students. Breathrough New York. quarter of New York City's population lived below the federal government's poverty threshold. Our strides are not the result of any one person. We envision brighter and stronger years ahead. As you turn these pages, we introduce you to With you by our side, we hope to achieve those That same year, a visionary man launched a tiny people who have guided Breakthrough New York dreams and, like our charges, enjoy worlds of program on the Upper East Side to help 19 in pivotal ways. They represent the multiple success. underserved middle school students, tutoring routes in which people from all walks of life have them after-school so they could lift their grades become involved with Breakthrough. and improve their lives. It is because of them - and so many others - that A decade and a half later, the seeds that Sam we are experiencing more growth, more support, Liz Sherman Marks planted have flourished. The two-year more volunteers, more student achievement, and Chair, Board of Directors program, formerly known as Summerbridge at more demand for services. Even as we continue The Town School (and now known as Break- to grow and build, we only can accommodate a through New York), has evolved into a compre- fraction of the children that seek our help. As a hensive, six-year college access program that has city and a nation, we have not yet closed the unlocked the doors for hundreds of students to opportunity gap between rich and poor. Rhea Wong worlds of success. Executive Director Our job is to make sure that we have unparalleled For fifteen years, Breakthrough New York has resources to assist even more deserving been a consistent voice championing success for students. It's as simple as that. Breakthrough students faced with limited financial means and New York is not an organization that rests on its poor educational options. laurels, and so we are planning for the next New York fifteen years. the world needs us to be successful We survived those rocky start-up years because the culture of the organization was so strong, and we had such great support from The Town School Sam Marks and the greater community. Founder Over the last fifteen years, Breakthrough New York I was a teacher at the Summerbridge program in has thrived. The program is operating today at a Providence, Rhode Island during that program’s much bigger scale, serving more students, opening very first summer, and it was a life-changing a Brooklyn site, and expanding its mission from experience for me. It became my dream to start being a two-year program for middle schoolers to a a Summerbridge site in my hometown of New six-year program working with students throughout York City. high school and even into college. I saw how deeply the Summerbridge experience It’s amazing when you think back to our initial I’m extremely proud, particularly of Rhea Wong’s affected both students and teachers, and I budget, which was $200,000 a year, and now it’s long tenure at the helm. She was a member of wanted to provide that experience for young more than a million. my first staff in 1999. I always knew I had an eye people in New York. for talent! As it has become established, Breakthrough New We launched at The Town School in summer York has gotten stronger and better able to In October 1998, as I looked forward to that first 1999. Start-ups are always tough. In those first accomplish its mission. It’s an organization with a summer, the whole organization was just me and years there were times when I doubted whether track record and a history of being a laptop working out of my “office,” a former gym the program would ever get off the ground, or student-focused, helping students understand closet. I could never have imagined the bigger, stay afloat. But we all felt that we owed it to the where they want to go and helping them to get stronger, vibrant organization it has become. students and teachers to keep it going. there. most of the teachers in my school were much Elliott older and I couldn’t relate to them. No one in my family had attended college and I wanted to be the first. I knew Breakthrough New York would be a way to open my mind to new Castillo ideas and broaden my horizons. BTNY Class of 2005 Breakthrough New York changed my life in so I was one of the first students in Breakthrough many ways. Breakthrough New York gave me New York. I was living in Spanish Harlem when chances to do so many things I could not have Sam Marks gave a presentation at my school. otherwise experienced, one of them being a full tuition scholarship to Providence College. My mother was raising me and my sister alone, and my stepfather’s business was struggling at Breakthrough New York motivates me to achieve the time. We had to stretch money as far as we my potential as I work towards an MBA and could, and my parents didn’t have the money to continue on the path that Breakthrough New York enroll me in academic programs that could help. put me on 14 summers ago. I started in 1999. I knew it was a stepping-stone to get into better schools and college. I enjoyed the students-teaching-students model because New York the world needs us to be successful Daniel Kamins Corporate Partner Capital One Bank When I became involved with grant-making at volunteer engagement aspect so we could host Capital One Bank in 2012, I had a chance to learn and work with Breakthrough New York students about Breakthrough New York. I saw that they at our offices, teaching them financial literacy in were expanding into Brooklyn and realized we fun, interactive ways and giving them exposure needed to expand our seed grant and our to corporate offices and numerous employees. relationship. Our relationship has worked because We taught students about budgeting, savings, Breakthrough New York knows what it is, and It is so clear to me that the people at and using credit cards wisely; these are all doesn’t stray from that mission. Breakthrough New York are able to get results for critical things that a first-generation college each and every child they work with. It is student would need to know. We plan to repeat The students that they select are incredible, and because of these results that we have increased that program this year because it was really I simply can’t say enough good things about our grant significantly each year for the last three successful. In addition, we held a career panel them or the staff. years. for their incoming seventh graders. We brought in associates from different divisions at Capital This year, we increased the amount of work we One Bank to talk about how they got where they do with Breakthrough New York; we built in a are now. opportunity to attend independent schools in the through New York's approach provides a very city. light, sincere touch. I know the challenges families face in finding aid When I visited the summer program, my for their children to attend independent schools opportunity to meet the student I sponsor was and was drawn to the idea of supporting an handled beautifully. He was very sweet, but organization that helps them expand education- terribly shy. I have since had very encouraging al opportunities. updates from him. He is feeling much more confident because he has experienced Other worthy organizations I was familiar with such success. I hope he has the sense that often focused only on supporting top students. I someone is out there rooting for him! feel as if every child has the potential to do better given the right support and tools. I was It doesn’t take an overwhelming amount of impressed by Breakthrough New York's model of money and it feels great to know one can make Diane Max an overwhelming difference in one kid’s life.