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HOPE Toledo Promise Announces Jesup W. Scott High School
Scholarship Expansion
Special to The Truth
Students in the 2021
graduating class at Jesup W. Scott High School will have an
opportunity to apply for a scholarship from HOPE Toledo,
under the Hope Toledo Promise program. This scholarship will
fund their post-secondary education, community college,
university or trade school and will include funding for
tuition, room and board, books and fees. The offer is also
being extended to one parent or guardian of the student. The
program also includes assignment of a HOPE Toledo Promise
mentor to each family.
“Toledo Promise is thrilled
to support the graduating Class of 2021,” said Rev. John C.
Jones, HOPE Toledo President. “We know the future is bright
and we have HOPE for these graduates as that future unfolds,
as well as for ALL of our young people across the Toledo
region.” |
Rev. John C. Jones,
HOPE Toledo Presiden |
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“This is a big deal,” said Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz.
“This can transform generations. Another year of students at
Scott High School will have the opportunity.”
Noting that only 17 percent of Toledo have educational
attainment beyond high school, a statistic that places the
city well below the national average, the mayor said: “We
can do better than that” and with the HOPE Toledo program,
he added, “another generation has hope.”
HOPE Toledo Promise is
designed to remove barriers to affordability, while also
serving as a vehicle to advance economic and workforce
development opportunities. The program is modeled after
H.O.P.E. Scott Promise, founded by Pete Kadens and The
Kadens Family Foundation. Kadens’ idea for H.O.P.E., which
stands for Helping Our Population Educate, arose from his
desire to see all students, regardless of background,
receive equitable access to quality education. He believes
that education is the pathway out of systemic and
generational poverty and leads to economic stability for
communities and families.
On January 29, 2020, Kadens
first announced to students and parents at Scott High
School, that The Kadens Family Foundation in partnership
with the ProMedica Foundation would help the Class of 2020
pursue post-secondary education. He also extended the offer
to one parent or guardian.
Over the course of the first
year of this program, H.O.P.E, now the HOPE Toledo Promise
led by HOPE Toledo President Rev. John C. Jones, has touched
more than 80 families from the Scott High School community.
Currently, there are 66 Scholars who enrolled in the fall
semester (2020)- 61 graduates of Scott and five parents of
Scott graduates. The remainder have enrolled in the spring
or will enroll in the fall of 2021. These numbers alone
represent an increase in the post-secondary enrollment rate,
from previous graduating classes, by over 80 percent.
HOPE Toledo Promise is
funded in partnership with the ProMedica Ebeid Neighborhood
Promise, The Kadens Family Foundation, and community and
corporate donors. The program is unique in its broad support
from community partners. Partners include: Toledo Public
Schools, Bowling Green State University, The University of
Toledo, Eastern Michigan University, Lourdes University,
Owens Community College, The Ohio State University,
ProMedica, Toledo Academy of Beauty and Culture, Central
State University, Hocking College, Mercy College of Ohio,
Pathway 4 Successful Leadership, ProMedica Financial
Opportunity Center, Wright State University, College Promise
Campaign, Paul Mitchell, Terra State Community College and
Jesup Wakeman Scott High School.
“We are proud to have helped
seed and launch HOPE Toledo, and thrilled to see the
continued expansion of the scholarship and program,” said
Kate Sommerfeld, ProMedica’s president of the Social
Determinants of Health Institute. “This expanded resource
will continue to be a game changer for so many individuals
and families.”
HOPE Toledo is aggressively
seeking funding to support this program and future
scholarships. As funding for the HOPE Toledo Promise program
increases, it is the goal of the organization to expand
opportunities to other schools and students.
During the initial stages of
HOPE Toledo’s development, the ProMedica Foundation has
agreed to serve as the not-for-profit’s fundraising agent.
The ProMedica Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt
organization. All donations to the HOPE Toledo initiative
through the ProMedica Foundation are tax-deductible to the
extent allowed by law.
HOPE Toledo is a 501(c) 3
organization and encompasses HOPE Toledo Pre-K and HOPE
Toledo Promise. The mission of HOPE Toledo is to work with
the Toledo community to support and ensure high-quality
educational experiences for all of our youth, from preschool
to post-secondary and trade school, with the goal of helping
to create generational economic change for the betterment of
our families and our community. Currently, 36% of the people
in the TPS district are living below the poverty line and
more than 80% of kids in Toledo enter kindergarten without
the skills needed to learn.
This cradle to career to
community approach will better serve our children and, in
the long run, help our city progress towards a stronger,
more educated workforce. To that end, HOPE Toledo is working
with the Toledo community, through public/private
partnerships and in tandem with Toledo Public Schools and
Washington Local Schools, to develop a plan to deliver
high-quality educational experiences for all of our youth.
For more information or to donate, visit hope-toledo.org.
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