This June, our first Circle de Luz class will graduate from high school and begin pursuing their dreams. For some, those dreams are clear: to become a physician’s assistant or graphic designer. For others, the dreams are just coming into focus: a pastry chef? A musician? An entrepreneur? But for each of them, this much is clear: Circle de Luz made a significant difference in their lives.
The work of Circle de Luz is based on this truth: When women are educated, it is not just their lives that change. Families change, communities change, our world changes.
While we are so happy to celebrate this incredible milestone with the Class of 2014, our work is not done. This is why we are so honored to have been chosen as one of the nonprofits to be featured in HIPGive. Because non-profits serving Latinos only receive one cent for every dollar given by foundations, HIP (Hispanics in Philanthropy) has launched a crowd-funding site, HIPGive, to empower non-profits that are making smart investments in Latino communities to raise money for their important work.
Some of our most important work is done in our College 101 program where every hija is individually and personally guided on her college research, application and scholarship application journey by generous volunteers (many of you!). Most of our girls will be the first in their families to pursue further education. College 101 demystifies the process and creates a powerful, personal action plan for each girl.
Hear what one of our Hijas had to say about College 101 in this 40 second video.
As an inaugural HIPGive non-profit, we have until May 16th to secure seed funding for our 2014-2015 College 101 process through their site. Moreover, we are in the running for a matching grant based on how many individual donors we have participate in our efforts.
Today, I am asking each one of you to please take a moment and make a contribution to our College 101 program. Just $5 from each of you would help us meet our goal of $3000 and possibly qualify for a matching grant so we can continue to support our girls with test prep classes, test registration fees, college application fees, personalized college tours, and more.
Thank you so much for your continued support and partnership in this incredible work!
