It was a wet and bluster night.
The wind was tossing palm fronds like match sticks as we drove through deep puddles on Lake Ida Road toward our destination. As we got out of the car at the beautiful Aloft Hotel on Federal Highway, we felt the awesome power of nature when the wind almost knocked our car doors off their hinges. But we were determined to get to where we were going – a celebration hosted by Bound for College – a remarkable Delray Beach nonprofit that is changing lives in our community.
Am I being dramatic?
Yeah, about the storm, but not about the life changing power of Bound For College.
Bound For College is a transformational organization.
We are lucky they are serving our kids.
It’s my strong belief that Bound for College is important to the future of Delray Beach because we need organizations that are future focused. We need leaders who think expansively, who tackle big issues and focus on creating a better future.
I’ve been watching founder Mark Sauer for a long time now. He’s a big thinker. When we first sat down with Mark to hear his vision were impressed. Mark is an impressive guy. As a sports nut, I was taken by his background which includes running the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Blues.
Mark understands business, has a passion for kids who need a boost, and he has energy to burn. Mark told me he saw something special about Delray Beach. He didn’t want to live anywhere else once he discovered our city. He didn’t come here to rest; he came here to work.
Despite a storied career, Mark wanted to do more and through his example I’m seeing that if you have the drive, you can do big things in the later innings of your life. I want to be a Mark Sauer because he wakes up every morning with a purpose. He has a passion to help kids do something with their lives.
Bound For College is hard at work providing tutoring, mentoring and all sorts of other important stuff for kids who aspire to get a degree. Many, if not most of the students Bound For College serves are the children of immigrants and the first in their families to go to college.
The goal is to break the cycle of poverty and give a boost to students who have the desire and the smarts to go to college but often don’t have the financial resources to do so.
Along the way, Mark, his staff, and a dedicated board have crafted what we at the Carl Angus DeSantis think is a brilliant business model.
Bound For College works in local schools (including Atlantic High and Village Academy) identifying motivated students early in their high school years and pairing them with teachers and mentors who help them prep for college.
The students must commit, they volunteer for hours and hours of tutoring and are required to stay engaged.
Bound For College hires certified teachers who watch these students during the school day to ensure that every student stays on track. After school, students get the tools they need to get into college and succeed once they get there.
We like the model because it works. But we also like the idea of students “buying -in” and teachers getting paid. This is win-win, and it doesn’t require monies to be spent on a building or transportation because the tutoring takes place at the high school.
Bound For College ensures that students take the SAT/ACT multiple times to create a path for improvement in scores. The organization also aids with applications (for admission and scholarships) and college tours to expose students to what college is really like.
The results are evident. Consider this:
· Test scores increased by an average of 23 percent in the most recent year measured.
· Most students attend college debt free. (This is huge).
· There are plenty of success stories.
We heard a few on that rainy Wednesday night at the Aloft. The students were poised and grateful, they spoke excitedly about their college experience, their aspirations to go to school and their desire to pay it forward which builds community. We heard from mentors and teachers too. I thought to myself, this is an answer—if every community stepped up and let their children know that we care about their future paths, the world would be a better place.
I saw immigrants—young people who came here after the earthquake in Haiti aspiring for a better life and I was reminded of the value that immigrants bring to this country. That’s my family’s story, it’s yours too, unless you are a Native American.
I’m proud that after years of conversations that in a small way we can help Mark achieve his goal of transforming lives. The Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation invested in Bound For College recently. We’re sold on the value, we’re confident in the leadership and we want to partner with these wonderful people in our community. It’s an honor to do so.
