WINTER 2024
A Message from COO Dr. John Tupponce
While City Year focuses on advancing student academic achievement and personal growth through the training of student success coaches, I’m not certain we talk enough about how community and corporate support impacts the outcomes we produce in the workplace and the cities we serve.
As you read this, there are thousands of students on track to graduate because teachers, administrators and City Year AmeriCorps members have helped them navigate their elementary, middle and high school years.
You’re reading this because you believe in our mission. Those who share your passion for developing young minds include the Lego Foundation, Bank of America, CSX, The Vertex Foundation and the Taco Bell Foundation.
Everyone who helps fund City Year, whether through an annual donation or strategic partnerships, should take pride in the fact that we help to develop new talent — both City Year AmeriCorps members and the students they serve — who go out into the world after their year of service and make their own impact in education, nonprofits and businesses as City Year alumni.
An educated workforce is a satisfying byproduct of the work we pour into bolstering student achievement, City Year’s mission since 1988.
Every contribution makes a difference.
Transforming Lives Every Day
City Year is a trailblazing, youth-powered organization that expands educational equity for students who are farthest from opportunity and develops diverse leaders through national service. Imagine you are a young adult who, at the age of 3, emigrated from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to the U.S. You attend Providence Public Schools, where City Year AmeriCorps members mentor you. Their compassionate support and guidance have a lasting impact on you.
Imagine earning a master’s degree in urban education policy, working in higher education for 17 years, and serving as a city councilwoman of Ward 3 in Providence and running for mayor in 2022. You decide that becoming the new executive director and senior vice president of City Year Providence will be the next chapter of your life. Nirva LaFortune is your name, and you’ve come full circle in life.
Currently, LaFortune oversees City Year Providence, which supports 3,000 students in six city schools through the work of 24 student success coaches.
Beyond Sponsorship with City Year
When a corporation or business partners with City Year to support students in local schools, the connection is an investment in the next wave of leaders.
Athena Global Advisors, a corporate sponsor of City Year Philadelphia, was highly impressed by the positive engagement between AmeriCorps members and the students at Edwin Forrest School in the Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia. The experience motivated them to extend their support even further by donating lunchboxes and collecting 100 books for the school’s Black History Month book drive. This act of kindness not only provided practical items for the students but also demonstrated Athena’s commitment to supporting education and fostering community involvement.
“We are excited about what City Year and Athena’s continued partnership with the organization have in store for the next 25 years,” says CEO Maggy Wilkinson, who adds that “every day, City Year is genuinely transforming the lives of the young adults and students in the program.”
“When I pledged to serve as a City Year AmeriCorps member, I pledged to be a community leader for life. My commitment to helping students succeed didn’t end when I no longer put on the iconic City Year jacket every day.” –Kevin Dua (Boston ’10 & ’11)
Meet Our Alumni
Recruiting and training diverse teams of young people and supporting them as they address some of our country’s most difficult challenges can change the world for the better. This is City Year’s core belief.
City Year’s 40,000 alumni continue to serve and lead, integrating invaluable experiences and skills into their everyday lives and professional endeavors. Our alums’ dedication to helping others and giving back to communities — often the same ones they grew up in — defines them.
City Year AmeriCorps members and our alumni recognize that their commitment to service doesn’t end when the school year ends. Our alumni continue to strengthen their communities by inspiring, mobilizing and empowering others.
“When I pledged to serve as a City Year AmeriCorps member, I pledged to be a community leader for life. My commitment to helping students succeed didn’t end when I no longer put on the iconic City Year jacket every day.” –Kevin Dua (Boston ‘10 & ‘11)
Serving a Second Year with City Year
Did you know that a third of City Year AmeriCorps members are serving a second year with us as student success coaches?
During their first year, as corps members learn and grow alongside the students they’re supporting, many are eager to continue their commitments to their students and themselves. Their experience helps new incoming student success coaches navigate the complexities of schools. Additionally, their extra year of service at one of our 29 U.S. sites offers them more time to hone skills, receive grants and exclusive scholarships, and plan their future careers.
Learn more at cityyear.org/experience/return-for-another-year.
City Year Little Rock Accepting New Members
Little Rock is a close-knit and welcoming community known for its commitment to improving education. City Year Little Rock is offering opportunities for 17- to 25-year-olds who want to advance their lives and careers while making an impact on central Arkansas students.
AmeriCorps members greet students as they get off the bus and partner with teachers in the classroom to help boost literacy and math skills, reduce chronic absenteeism and strengthen key social-emotional skills that help students succeed in school, college and career.
City Year offers members a stipend, health insurance benefits and a $6,895 education award to pay off student loans or put toward a college degree. It’s a wonderful way to earn money and help public schools. City Year is accepting applications for AmeriCorps members. If you know someone interested in what a year of service can offer them and students (K-12), please visit cityyear.org.
Hear From Our Alumni
94%
saw issues of systemic inequity firsthand.
94%
saw issues of systemic inequity firsthand.
91%
developed relationships with people from different backgrounds as a result of their service.
84%
acknowledge City Year prepared them for their career paths.
84%
acknowledge City Year prepared them for their career paths.
74%
believe service increased their civic engagement.
City Year, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization (Tax ID Number: 22-2882549) and your donation is tax deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, we will follow up with a tax receipt shortly which will show your tax-deductible portion according to IRS guidelines.
How can I make a gift of stock/securities? If you would like to make a gift of securities, please contact Andrew Kent at [email protected] or (617) 927-2324.
Can I pay through my donor-advised fund? Yes, we ask that you have your donor-advised fund gift sent to: Bank of America Lockbox Services City Year Inc. 412755, MA527-08-07, 2 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA 02125
Would you like to donate immediately? Click here to be directed to our donation page.
