Sponsorship

Silent Auction Commitment Form

Dear Friend of Educate Tomorrow:

We invite you to show your support as a Silent Auction item donor for Educate Tomorrow at our 5th Annual Gala to be held on Saturday, November 14, 2009. This year’s event will be held at an elegant private bayfront estate where we will celebrate in “Great Gatsby” style! Partygoers will enjoy live music, excellent wine and fare, and the company of top executives and professionals. Educate Tomorrow’s central mission is to provide one-on-one educational mentoring to youth who have aged out or will soon age out of foster care. ET’s program creates a new world of possibility and independence for the youth who participate in it, youth like Anderson Haywood.

Anderson learned about ET at a foster youth event two years ago and signed up to attend a weekend “It’s Your Life” camp. At age 18, Anderson had not completed his high school degree and was adrift. After attending the camp, Anderson wrote, “This program was the best program I have been [to] in all my life. The staff put in one hundred percent of their efforts. … I will take everything that was said into thought and start forming a life that I deserve, not just the money but also the respect from people and a better life. … This program showed me that there is more out in the world than just McDonald’s or Publix. This program showed me I can.” With the support of ET and his mentor, Anderson has now completed his high school degree and a year as an AmeriCorp*VISTA volunteer. He has developed confidence, poise, and self-respect. This fall, he is embarking on a previously unimaginable journey – beginning college at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. All of us at ET are unbelievably proud of him and of the path we have helped him create.

Educate Tomorrow endeavors to create systemic change by guiding these youth one by one to a life of “Independence Through Education.” A small investment in their future is a huge investment in our future. National statistics reveal that less than 40% of foster youth finish school and that as high as 80% of prison inmates were at one time in the foster care system. In contrast, nearly 100% of Educate Tomorrow’s foster youth are enrolled in educational programs. ET currently mentors 130 of the nearly 2,000 foster youth (between the ages of 13 and 21) in Miami-Dade County. We serve many more in our camps, youth events, and in-school support groups. With your help, we can serve nearly all of the youth in our community. The cost of mentoring, life skills training, and in-school support groups is approximately $2,000 per child for the first year. However, the cost of prison, welfare systems, or homeless intervention programs can range between $5,000 and $50,000 per year. Your donations can make the difference to a youth and create change now and for our future.

Thank you in advance for your support of this important event! Please click the link below to access our silent auction donation form.

Silent Auction Commitment Form

Sincerely,
Virginia Emmons McNaught
Executive Director