Minds Matter Adds Thirteenth Chapter in Detroit
New York, NY – April 4, 2016 — Minds Matter, a national non-profit organization serving accomplished high school students from low-income families, approved the addition of a 13th chapter in Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit chapter will begin serving students in Fall 2016 and received a generous grant for seed funding from The Taubman Foundation.
The organization approved the Detroit chapter following a presentation of research by the chapter’s co-founders, two volunteers from Minds Matter Cleveland who relocated to Detroit last year.
“We are so proud of the volunteer leaders who are preparing to launch this extraordinary program in Detroit,” notes Ellen Magnis, Executive Director of Minds Matter’s national office, “What a testament to the commitment and dedication to low-income students in a city that has seen so much hardship.”
The city of Detroit has been under the governance of an Emergency Manager since 2008. Throughout January and February 2016, students and teachers in the Detroit Public School (DPS) system staged “sick outs” to protest the unsafe conditions in schools and lack of resources provided by the Emergency Manager.
Minds Matter Detroit will serve low-income students accepted into the program by supplementing this lack of resources. Beginning with a small initial class, the chapter will provide extensive mentoring, support and college counseling to help offset the 706 to 1 student to counselor ratio in Michigan, and will provide SAT preparation to help raise students’ average SAT score from the 1520 DPS average to be more in line with the 1700 national average.
“We call out to potential partners, volunteers and supporters in Detroit to join with our volunteer leaders to make this program launch a success,” Magnis continues, “We are excited to watch Minds Matter Detroit students flourish the way students in all of our other chapters have. Witnessing the transformation of students as they realize their potential is truly a joy.”
About Minds Matter
Minds Matter transforms the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success. Through a highly selective and rigorous 3-year academic mentoring program, Minds Matter students accomplish the extraordinary. 100% of Minds Matter program graduates are accepted into a four-year college. More than 70% of them attend some of our nation’s more selective colleges. Powered by 1,900 volunteers nationwide, Minds Matter Chapters are located in 13 cities across the country. The national office of Minds Matter is located in Manhattan.