| Message From Our Founder |
Welcome to Say Yes to Education. We have learned and accomplished a tremendous amount since we launched Say Yes 20 years ago. Over the past two decades, we've had the pleasure of celebrating the success of hundreds of our students-many whom I now consider part of my extended family. The 20th Anniversary celebration of the first Say Yes Chapter in Philadelphia conveyed this warm family spirit, combining a dinner, an awards reception and a community carnival. It was a wonderful occasion, full of reminiscences, jokes, and the satisfaction that comes from seeing so many of these young adults thriving in their lives and professions. The reunion was also a great opportunity for old friends to catch up with each other, and to make new friends within the Say Yes family.
In the course of our work, we've learned many valuable lessons. Each lesson has given us insight on how to improve our programs so that we're better able to provide students and their families with the varied supports they need to succeed.
Today, we're in the midst of a period of exciting growth. We're fortunate to have a dynamic new leader-Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey- who came to us after serving as president and chief executive officer of New American Schools, and vice president for public policy and external relations at the American Institutes for Research. Her extraordinary vision, experience, and work ethic will ensure that Say Yes will continue to accomplish great things in the future. We are continuing to codify and strengthen our programs, evaluations, and processes to make them even more effective and efficient in the future. Among other enhancements, we've created explicit benchmarks for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, as well as post-secondary achievement standards for Say Yes students. We're also creating online data management systems that will help us better share what we have learned with our partners and sponsors. I believe that Say Yes now has the experience, confidence, and vision to begin expanding its programmatic approach and resources to reach thousands of additional children throughout the country. In the next 20 years, we look forward to building many more fruitful private/public partnerships, and to eventually impacting public policy in such a way as to enable all children to achieve their dreams. We have much to look forward to, and much still to accomplish. We thank you for your continued support. George Weiss |
