“You can’t pay it back, so you might as well pay it forward.” – Justin Tuck
This quote stuck with me as I heard this at a recent fundraiser for one of our partners, Student Sponsor Partners. Justin went on to say we all have countless mentors, teachers, and people who influence our lives, that will never be able to pay back. Our only option is to pay it forward to the next generation.
Education disparity is extensive across the New York City area. Neighborhoods like the Bronx are under-resourced and remain plagued with academic equality issues. Schools in these neighborhoods struggle to staff quality teachers and fund many programs. Understaffed schools increase the workload each teacher is responsible for and reduces the employees tenure at the school. Access to quality education remains a large factor in long term economic success; and we look forward to utilizing our partner at SSP to bring access to better education to students in the Bronx.
Over the years, there have been programs put into place to increase the teacher pipeline for these schools, but there remains a large opportunity for improvement. As Carrie Walton Penner from the Walton Foundation stated, “After nearly 30 years of family philanthropy, there are many lessons that apply to the future of the foundation. One of the most profound is the need to act with both urgency and patience.” We look to act with urgency as we support a community in need, while also having the patience to continue to support the community over time as progress and impact take time.
This year, we are excited to put an initiative in place to support the Bronx community through our partnership with Student Sponsors Partners. This initiative will enable the SSP team to continue their support in the Bronx community and provide students new opportunities in education. We look forward to working towards parity within the Bronx community by continuing to support students from this neighborhood.
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