In June of this year, I joined the board of Summer Search.  Around the same time, I was granted a lottery spot to run the NYC marathon on Sunday, November 3.  So I decided to use the marathon to benefit a cause and organization I’ve come to care deeply about.

Summer Search seeks to help low-income teenagers develop the skills they need to become college-educated leaders who give back to their families and communities.  But Summer Search isn’t your typical program.  The organization doesn’t admit the top students to the program and it doesn’t provide tutoring services.  And yet, 99% of Summer Search students graduate from high school (as opposed to 50% of their peers) and 83% are on track to get a college degree (in contrast to 1 in 10 of their peers). 

Since 1990, Summer Search has partnered with high schools to identify students short on opportunity and long on resilience, altruism, and determination—character traits that hold the seeds for success in school and in life.  The character-based program is a unique combination of relationships and opportunities that help students build the skills they need to thrive.  Summer Search partners each student with a professional mentor and builds a circle of relationships around them. Then, Summer Search offers students experiential opportunities that crack open their view of the world and ultimately reveal what they’re capable of.

Please visit the Summer Search website to find out more about the organization. With your help, Summer Search can make an even bigger impact!

I invite you to donate to this worthwhile cause!