"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." - Lady Bird Johnson
I hope that this Spring season finds you and your loved ones healthy and renewed! We here at Restore Education are heading towards the end of the school year and are reinvigorated by our students' persistence and accomplishments.
In February, we held our 2nd annual Champions for Education Virtual Breakfast and were amazed at the turnout and generosity of our partners and donors! We are excited to share with you soon our plans for next year's event. Read more below about this impactful panel discussion.
Also in late February, we partnered with the City and two other agencies as they launched a new training program for Wood Window Restoration. This exciting new partnership was featured by local media, so read on to learn more.
We have seen incredible success from our students this school year. Leann has worked with us over a year, and persisted through the transition to online learning. Now a GED graduate and college student, she is doing great things. Check out her story below.
This month we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week and cannot thank our strong group of Volunteers enough for all they do to support our students. Find out how you can get involved in this important effort below.
We are excited to announce our next event, Spelling Showdown, will take place October 7! This will be a live, in-person event, so please save the date and sharpen your skills for this fun twist on a spelling bee, all in support of our students.
To learn more, please read on below! Your interest, involvement, and support is critical to continuing our mission. Together, we are working to enrich the lives of our students and our families, through educational advancement, toward a brighter future.
Gratefully,
Kelli G. Rhodes, Executive Director
"I think that it is essential to... make large, large steps towards creating opportunity for all, [and] towards generating shared economic prosperity." - Dr. John Friedman
We want to thank the panelists and attendees of our 2nd Annual Champions for Education Virtual Breakfast. The panel discussion was an important demonstration of how Restore Education is moving meaningful conversations forward to address economic development in San Antonio and beyond. With over 180 people in attendance, our community is certainly coming together to take bold steps for equity.
We are overjoyed with the support we received. We raised over $20,000 for our educational programs! We are grateful to you, our dedicated sponsors and donors! Together we are manifesting the vision for "shared economic prosperity." Over 970 individuals have made the courageous step this school year to move forward in their education. Increased funding has allowed us to bolster job placement and career supports to help our students launch their new careers!
We are excited to continue the conversation and collaboration. We know there is more success to come! If you would like to revisit any part of the discussion or event, a full recording of the webinar is available here. More information about our panelists and sponsors is available in the event E-program. You may access Dr. Friedman’s keynote presentation slideshere.
Save the Date!
We invite you to accept the challenge and join our...
Live & In-Person
SPELLING SHOWDOWN!
on October 7th, 2021 from 6 - 8 PM
Sponsorship details are forthcoming, but it is never too early to sharpen those spelling skills and build your dream team!
Leann enrolled with Restore Education in February 2020, just before the pandemic shutdown. She credits volunteer tutors Tim & Mary for keeping her motivated and helping her to pass the math section of the GED: "I am so glad I found Restore Education and had Ms. Mary and Mr. Tim... teaching me."
While working to complete her GED, Leann took part in our dual enrollment partnership with San Antonio College, and was enrolled in two college courses, earning 6 credit hours! Leann's longterm goal is to complete her college education. She is looking forward to finishing this spring semester and returning for the fall session. We are privileged to continue to support Leann through our College Success program!
"Words cannot describe how proud I am of our students... Their resiliency, dedication, and determination is unmatched." - Postsecondary Pathways Manager, Aaron Reyna
Volunteer Appreciation Week
Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 18th- 24th! We currently have 24 active volunteer tutors that support students across our programs. Our remote classrooms have made it possible for volunteers to serve from all over the U.S. We have five out of state volunteers! Our tutors range in experience and background from current college students to retired professionals. Each volunteer has something unique to offer our students and we are so grateful for their service!
We would like to give special thanks to Eric (pictured below). Eric works as an analyst at Morgan Stanley and holds a masters in Statistics. Though he was not able to immediately transition to online tutoring, he returned to the virtual classroom last September. We are so appreciative of Eric's years of service and willingness to meet our students where they are!
Featured Program:
Wood Window Restoration Apprenticeship
The Wood Window Restoration apprenticeship program is a collaboration of two City of San Antonio departments and three nonprofit agencies. Our partners at Family Services, NXT Level, and the City's Office of Historic Preservation and Department of Human Services created this program, the first of its kind in our city. It is part of a broader effort to not only preserve the historical homes of San Antonio, but also our community's proud tradition of skilled craftsmanship.
Program participants learn the special skills they need to preserve and restore wood frame windows directly from master carpenters. In February, the first cohort of students received a week of hands on training in a restoration workshop. They then spent the next two weeks with Restore Education Instructors completing academics. For the remainder of the program, students earn a $15/hr. stipend while continuing their apprenticeship with a local employer for on the job training. The 10-week course leads to job placement and a lifelong career pathway for students.
In a news feature by Fox29 News, student Marielle Higgins reflects on the desire to improve his life for himself and his son: "I want to make sure I can have a career...so I can keep providing for him and not have to struggle." Read the full story by clicking below.
