CREATING HEROES THROUGH EDUCATION AND SERVICE annual report 2009-2010 our mission DEAR FRIENDS, We are honored to share with you the immense pride and optimism we feel presenting this year’s annual report. It has truly been a privilege over the years to watch these young men and women develop into the leaders of tomorrow through their passion and determination today. If these students are our future, then the future is bright. The power hidden in the story of each Page Scholar is not only the unforeseen change these students will effect on the world, but the immeasurable impact our Scholars have on the lives of the children they mentor. Our students embody hope for a new generation by both investing in education and building up their communities for the future. The stories presented in this Annual Report serve as a testament to the inspired talent and selfless integrity in the youth of today. Each story is unique and every opportunity described provides reason for hope and encouragement. Yet taken together, there lies within the stories of all of our Page Scholars the broader narrative of a community that values education and is committed to the potential of all students. A young person’s life-long success begins with an education. Access to higher Thank you for your continued support of the Page Education Foundation. It is education promises far-reaching benefits, especially to students of color, who often with the utmost sincerity that I express how indispensable your generosity is in face daunting challenges in completing a post-secondary education. Guided by our sustaining the investment in our community. By your kindness and through the achievements of our many Scholars, we can be confident in our hope for a mission to encourage Minnesota’s youth of color to pursue post-secondary educa- brighter future. tion, the Page Education Foundation promotes their academic achievement, personal responsibility and untapped potential to become vital contributors to their communi- Sincerely, ties. We accomplish this by granting financial assistance to post-secondary students. In return, these students actively foster positive attitudes toward literacy and learning Diane Sims Page among younger, school-age children of color through mentoring relationships. Founder our history Alan Page spent fifteen years in the NFL, becoming the first defensive player in the league’s history to receive an MVP award. While playing football, he became a full-time law student, earning his Juris Doctor in 1978. Alan’s deep and abiding belief in the importance of education did not stop with his own success. Recognizing a need for our education system to reach more young people of color, he used his 1988 induction into the NFL Hall of Fame to launch the Page Education Foundation. From its inception, the Foundation has offered money and encouragement to students of color facing incredible barriers to attaining their educational dreams. According to Page, “In 1988 when I was going to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, my wife, Diane, and I decided this was the time for us to take some action to do what we could to try to create hope in young people. To let them know that their futures could be better than the present. We came up with the idea of starting the Page Education Foundation, with the goal of encouraging, assisting and motivating young men and women of color to pursue education beyond high school. We thought we could create a Foundation that would pull people along and give them hope. We would do that in two ways: 1) by providing financial assistance; and 2) the second and more important way is that we require our grant recipients, our Page Scholars, to go into the community where they come from or the community where they are going to school to work with young children – kindergarten 2 through eighth grade specifically in the area of education. 3 “The fact is that I see a lot of young people who engage in anti-social behavior. Some of those young people simply have no moral compass. But for many of them, indeed I suspect the majority, there is a lack of hope. And so, to the extent that the Page Education Foundation and Page Scholars create hope, we make the world a better place not only for ourselves but also for all of those around us.” creating opportunities Minnesota is approaching a workforce crisis. While the achievement gap for students of color is a national problem, the gap is particularly glaring in Minnesota. African American, Hispanic and Native American students are not performing at the same levels as white and Asian students. The impact of this achievement gap has long and serious consequences. Dropout rates for students of color in Minnesota are alarming. According to the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, over the last five years, students of color and American Indian students were two to five times more likely to drop out of school as their white peers. In a new report (June 2010) from Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workforce, by 2018, Minnesota’s demand for workers with education beyond high school will be the second largest in the country. With a generation of well-educated Baby Boomers retirng, there is a critical need to invest in post-secondary education opportunities for students of color. At the same time, state funding for higher education has been slashed in the face of a budget crisis here in Minnesota. In response, tuition has skyrocketed at both public and private colleges and universities. Supporting the financial demands of a post-secondary education for students of color in Minnesota is now more important than ever. HOW THE PAGE EDUCATION FOUNDATION IS ADDRESSING CURRENT NEEDS In response to this challenge to educate young people of color, we created 4 a dynamic solution that combines: Financial support Leadership, internship Mentoring relationships Community service through scholarships and job development that provide real-life aimed at helping for post-secondary opportunities with top career related younger children of education Minnesota companies information color succeed in school We help open the door to college and work to make higher education an attainable and realistic goal for anyone regardless of economic, ethnic or racial status. program descriptions Page Grants The Page Education Foundation awards annual, renewable grants to Minnesota students of color who attend colleges, universities and technical schools throughout Minnesota. Students who accept Foundation grants must make a commitment to return to their communities where they perform clearly defined service projects with younger children of color. Foundation awards consist of an- nual grants of $1,000 to $2,500. The selection process highlights an applicant’s attitude toward education, willingness to provide service to children, and financial need. Recipients reapply each year they attend post-secondary school. Service-to-Children The Service-to-Children Program requires each Page Scholar to volunteer at least 50 hours during the academic year mentoring kindergarten-8th grade children of color. With a focus on literacy and tutoring, Page Scholars encourage K–8 grade children of color to view education as a positive and exciting goal. These relationships offer powerful motivation to impressionable youngsters who still look to older students for guidance. Children mentored by Page Scholars benefit from real life role models willing to show them how to make good choices and follow their dreams of becoming the person they choose to be. Page Connections 6 7 Page Connections goal is to support Page Scholars as they work to successfully complete their education and community service. Page Connections provides Page Scholars the opportunity to access support services on campus, interships/career opportunities, group service projects and ways to connect with other Page Scholars. scholars at a glance Since 1988, the Page Education Foundation has supported 4,600 students who in turn have given more than 300,000 hours of mentoring and tutoring younger children. Below are some numbers that help describe the 2009/2010 Page Scholars: PAGE GRANT APPLICANTS 1022 PAGE GRANT SCHOLARS 570 RETURNING SCHOLARS 338 NEW PAGE SCHOLARS 232 FEMALE PAGE SCHOLARS 336 MALE PAGE SCHOLARS 234 AFRICAN AMERICAN PAGE SCHOLARS 341 AMERICAN INDIAN PAGE SCHOLARS 18 ASIAN AMERICAN PAGE SCHOLARS 123 LATINO AMERICAN PAGE SCHOLARS 63 BIRACIAL/MULTIRACIAL PAGE SCHOLARS 25 COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE STUDENTS 135 8 4-YEAR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS 420 GRADUATE SCHOOL STUDENTS 15 COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES PAGE SCHOLARS ARE ATTENDING 57 FINANCIAL COMMITMENT FOR PAGE GRANTS IN 2009/2010 $810,000 featured page scholar Jessica Schultz has always been a motivated and passionate person, but from an early age she learned the importance of having mentors. Jessica says, “While I was growing up, I always had great role models to look up to, whether it was teachers, advisors, my grandparents, and even my parents. There was always someone there to help encourage me. I feel that every child needs someone like that to encourage them and help them achieve success.” This is why being a Page Scholar has meant so much to Jessica. The Foundation provides her the opportunity to make a difference in many children’s lives, by helping students with their studies and encouraging them to succeed in school. Jessica explains, “it is important to give advice and share our experiences and the lessons we have learned along the way. It has also allowed me to grow as a person and strengthen my leadership and communication skills for the future.” ‘‘ The future is something Jessica is focused on, particularly pursuing her ‘‘ passion for education. An Aquatic Biology major at Bemidji State University, Jessica plans to continue to give back to her community and be a role model to children after college.