First and foremost, I hope this message finds you and your
loved ones safe and healthy. Several years ago, when I first started thinking
about what could be done to help those less fortunate than ourselves my
immediate thoughts turned to education. Almost 20 years and nearly 500
scholarships awarded to deserving high school seniors later I can proudly say
that we have done a great deal to help young, under privileged students achieve
their dreams of going to college. All of you have been so important
in helping GKAC achieve its goal of providing much needed financial assistance
to these young people. However, given the events of the last several days I
have asked myself, "Am I doing enough?" I have been so troubled by
the treatment of people in our country who, for no reason other than the color
of their skin, have to live in fear of being mistreated. It just is not fair.
I am
heartened by the fact that almost 70% of the scholarships that Give Kids A
Chance has granted from its inception have been awarded to minority students.
The reason for this, of course, is that an overwhelming majority of the
applications we receive are submitted by minority students. As exemplified by
our motto, "Education is Power", helping these young people become
college educated is not only in their best interest but in the best interests
of our country. A better-educated populace is bound to be a more understanding
and compassionate citizenry. The exposure that young people get to a diverse
group of other young persons while in college helps to positively mold their
attitudes for years to come.
As many
of you know, last year GKAC increased our annual scholarships (paid out to
awardees each year for 4 years) from $1,000 to $1,250. We typically award
scholarships to 25 high school students each year. This year we have decided to
award 30 scholarships. I am personally committing to funding one of the five
additional scholarships. This is neither a plea nor a request for any
contributions to GKAC. Rather, it is a challenge, for those of you who can, to
do whatever is in your heart to help someone who is hurting---whether because
of the events of the very recent days or because of the awful pandemic that has
swept our country. Perhaps give to a food bank. Go to a store and buy someone a
bag of groceries. Assist a house bound elderly person. Whatever---let's pay it
forward so that we all can live a brighter, more meaningful life. Treating
others nicely makes the soul feel so much better.
Thanks
for letting me interrupt you with my message. Have a wonderful day.
