Why I volunteer for Marathon Scholars: enabling the dream of a college education

It's back to school and my mind returns to a great organization that I got involved with last year: Marathon Scholars.  We identify high-potential, low-income students in the 4th grade and walk with them, providing them mentoring and a college scholarship, until they complete their bachelor's degree.  We do that through an interesting approach that starts and ends with results in mind.

First, we measure and hold ourselves accountable to the right thing: college graduations. Not college enrollments.  The statistics around low income and first generation college student graduation rates are deplorable and often these same students, with great potential and good intentions, apply and are accepted into college, but then cut their academic careers short of a degree (and the earning potential and opportunity that brings), but take with them student loans that can further burden their future.  Marathon Scholars takes seriously their commitment, and that of the student scholar and their parents, to complete college and is delivering great results.  Scholars in our program are 6x more likely than their peers to complete their degree.

Secondly, we start at the right time: 4th grade.  We select students in the Portland Metro and SW Washington area through an application progress and pair them with mentoring resources to help with individualized guidance, advising, and college prep programming for the next 12 years.  This is critical for students who might be the first in their family to ever consider a college education.  In addition, they receive the first of their college scholarship, donated month-by-month over by a sponsor who also partners in their potential.  4th grade might seem like too early to be talking about college, but it seemed to me to be the perfect time.  Before they must persevere through advanced math and English classes.  Before they start making life-impacting decisions that would later affect their college readiness.  Before they are told that they are not college material, Marathon Scholars reminds them that they are!

I welcome you to join me in this good work.  You can participate in many different ways, giving your time or resources to this great cause.  Our scholars are in need of mentors, who can work with our students at different phases of their educational journey to help them arrive at a new and promising destination: the life of a college graduate!  Contact the staff at Marathon Scholars for more information about volunteer opportunities.

You can also follow Marathon Scholars on Twitter, Facebook, subscribe to this blog, and via our email newsletter which you can access on this website.  While you are there, you can also check out the great video of what mentoring means to these scholars.  And mark your calendar for the upcoming gala fundraiser on March 4, 2017.  We’d love to see you there!

Six Reasons Why Women Execs Should Volunteer

As a professional woman, you’ve probably dreamed of making an impact in the community, beyond your role as an industry leader or executive. “If I only I the time,” you might have told yourself, “I’d tackle world poverty. Or start a nonprofit foundation. Or work on a cure for cancer.”

Indeed, women are the nation’s most prevalent volunteers, with more than 28 percent giving their time, compared to 22 percent of men. Part of the reason may be that women intuitively understand that their responsibilities extend beyond payroll and profits. “Women are hard-wired to be engaged in their communities,” says Dr. Val Hannemann, a psychologist in Flagstaff, Ariz. “Volunteering connects women. They share, they compare, and they adopt new strategies to make a difference in the world.”And let’s not forget, most volunteers are recruited by volunteers and so women have a tendency to invite their female networks to engage in their projects.

Yet the reality is that many women who volunteer their time work part-time or not at all. In fact, women who are primarily care-givers or homemakers can become “professional volunteers.”On the other hand, time can be a major issue for professional women, who may have less flexibility in their schedules or priorities. If you’re like a lot of working women, you’re probably already juggling family, children, and your health —in addition to a demanding job. Yet if you haven’t carved out the time to volunteer, it may be time to reconsider. Yes, making the world a better place is important for its own sake. But it’s also a critical part of your professional development strategy. Here are six reasons why you should make the time:

• You’ll build your experience base

  Volunteer work can play an important role in helping you get the experience you want in your career. These opportunities provide great opportunities to learn new skills, interact with mentors, and build your portfolio. And, of course, you can list volunteer opportunities on your resume and LinkedIn profile, alongside your paid work.

• You’ll expand your network

  The old adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know” is true. Furthermore, it is really about who knows you. Volunteer opportunities allow you to build relationships outside your normal circle of friends and colleagues, helping you to broaden your network of folks who have had positive interactions with you and are inclined to think of you when opportunities arise.

• You’ll broaden your perspective

  By working with a different set of people and challenges, you’ll inevitably widen your perspective. Volunteering can pull you out of your comfort zone, forcing you to tackle new problems from different angles. It can also give you profound new perspectives that can shape both your approach to life and the way you show up on the job.

• You’ll hone your leadership skills

  As a volunteer, you can do things that an employee can’t. You can work outside the organization chart. You can seek out new opportunities for growth and involvement. And you can make connections between organizations. With the right volunteer opportunity, you’ll gain experience setting a vision, developing strategies, raising funds, motivating people, and reconciling conflicting perspectives—all essential leadership skills. And you’ll have the opportunity to practice those skills in a safe environment—and then apply them back at work to make yourself more visible and indispensable.

• You’ll position yourself for promotion

  A volunteer opportunity outside of work is a great way to demonstrate your readiness for the C-suite. By sitting on the board of a local nonprofit, managing a community-based initiative, or organizing a volunteer program for your own corporation, you’ll be required to tackle many of the same issues faced by top executives within your company. Moreover, taking on a leadership volunteer role “send(s) the signal that you aspire to leadership potential,” says leadership coach Muriel Maignan Wilkins. Indeed, taking on the right volunteer opportunity can earn you recognition as a leader—helping you to get the promotion you desire.

• You’ll do good for others—and for yourself

  Last, but not least, volunteering is vital to the health of our communities. You already bring so many skills to the table, and using them for the greater good makes the world a better place. At the same time, serving others gets you out of your own head and puts your own worries and problems in perspective. Research has shown that volunteering helps people feel more socially connected, wards off depression, and may even contribute to better physical health like lower blood pressure and improved memory. So, do yourself some good by doing good!

This article was published on The Glass Hammer.

What is worth doing…for a lifetime?

Most things we do have a defined beginning and end.  We keep appointments.  We meet deadlines.  We work on projects.  We deem these activities worthy for a time.  Like a sprint.  From firing gun to finish line. But what things are worth doing for a longer duration?  What things are your marathon?

Each of us will have our own list.  It could include mundane things like flossing each day to maintain your dental health.  It could include specific eating or exercise habits.  It could include commitments to stay close to family and friends.  It includes marriages, decisions to become a parent, or involvement in causes.

I got involved with a non-profit called Marathon Scholars earlier this year and they take a long-term approach to solving the access to higher education gap among low income students in the Portland area.  High potential students are selected in 4th grade and given their first college scholarship.  The organization then walks with them with mentoring and educational programming until they earn their college diploma.  Most will be the first people in their families to graduate from college (many are the first to graduate from high school).  The program has been around long enough to see graduates exiting the program at 7x the average rate, speaking to the power of the long-term approach.  A marathon, for sure.

There are opportunities for individuals to get involved in short and long-term mentoring and sponsorships.  One of the most popular programs is scholarship sponsors committing to give $100 a month for 12 years to fund a scholarship.  Giving in parallel to the student’s academic progress, this approach illustrates the partnership between the students that do the work necessary to generate results and the organization and the organization and the sponsors that make the mission possible.  Although this kind of commitment is not required, it is a beautiful metaphor to how problems are solved for good – they take time.  For more information and to see how you can get involved, see www.marathonscholars.org.

Jennifer Davis Joins the Board of Marathon Scholars

Last night, I attended my first board of trustees for Marathon Scholars.  I am excited about what this organization has accomplished and what we can do to further the mission of making the dream of college a reality for talented and low-income kids.  They identify high-potential students in the 4th grade and walk with them, providing them mentoring and a college scholarship, until they complete their bachelor's degree.

I first learned about Marathon Scholars, when their executive director spoke at an iSing Choir concert as the beneficiary.  I was attracted to several things about the organization.

First, they measure and hold themselves accountable to the right thing: college graduations. Not college enrollments.  The statistics around low income and first generation college student graduation rates are deplorable and often these same students, with great potential and good intentions, cut their college careers short of a degree (and the earning potential and opportunity that brings), but take with them student loans that can further burden their lives in the future.  Marathon Scholars takes seriously their commitment, and that of the student scholar and their parents, to complete college.

Secondly, they start at the right time: 4th grade.  They select students in the Portland Metro and SW Washington area through an application progress and pair them with mentoring resources to help with individualized guidance, advising, and college prep programming for the next 12 years.  In addition, they receive the first of their college scholarship, totaling $12,000 donated month-by-month over by a sponsor who also partners in their potential.  4th grade might seem like too early to be talking about college, but it seemed to me to be the perfect time.  Before they must persevere through advanced math and English classes.  Before they start making life-impacting decisions that would later affect their college readiness.  Before they are told that they are not college material, Marathon Scholars reminds them that they are!

I welcome you to join me in this good work.  You can participate in many different ways.  We are in need of some scholarship sponsors that would commit to donate every month or quarter to fund the scholarships of one of our 2015 cohort of 4th graders.  A one-time gift could also help with operational plans, including helping to off-set the cost of the Annual Summer Celebration happening on June 20th.

At this family friendly event, we will be serving up ice cream and stories of hope and accomplishment.  All are invited and you can learn more and RSVP here.  I hope you can come.

You can also follow Marathon Scholars on Twitter, Facebook, the blog, and via their email newsletter which you can access on their home page.  While you are there, you can also check out the great video of what mentoring means to these scholars!