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I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. It was in the spring of 2014.
I asked a room of recommended freshmen and sophomores at Tech High School to tell me about their future dreams and hopes. Some friends and I would then share how we would support them through mentoring and programming to advance their future goals. With emotional concern and brokenness in his heart, a 6’4” 250 pound freshman young man named Keyshawn spoke up.
“All I’m trying to do is live to see 18, Mr. Aaron,” Keshawn lamented.
His response to my question stunned me and the professionals who joined me that day. But it also stirred up deep agreement among the 25-30 students in attendance. These are students who came from similar environments, and as such, experienced similar traumas in their lives that caused them to think this way.
Since then, I’ve sadly heard that answer endless times - nowadays, the age expressed isn’t even always to 18.
As a supporter and fellow advocate of this next generation, you know the power and purpose behind Elevate is our 24-7 commitment to developing inherent assets and abilities of our city’s students! This month alone has been filled with college and career mentoring, sports and adventure trips, and powerful 1:1’s. The work we are doing is not yet done, and our full-time professional Teacher-Mentors continue to bring out the strengths of their students day by day, regardless of the circumstances and environment.
In February, our whole team worked together to complete 99 after-school home visits in one week, where we met with the families of brand new Elevate students. And this month, we are gearing up for our Elevate Hoops Annual 3v3 Youth Basketball Mentoring Games!
Thanks to partnerships with The Rose Project and Brooks Place, this annual tournament is another way for students to develop their skills, work as a team, and overcome challenges. Through this day of fun and friendly competition, we focus on growing in mental health and overcoming youth violence.
With Keyshawn’s words ringing in my mind to this day, these focus areas are particularly important to our Elevate family. Through opportunities like our basketball tournament, we give our students the tools they need to overcome the hardships they face each day and achieve a bright future for themselves.
We have even more to look forward to in the next few weeks! Thanks to your support, we have a big spring break impact planned for Elevate students next week. We also look forward to opportunities like:
- Service learning with Groundwork Indy
- Overnight college visits with Dream Alive
- Resume building
- Job shadowing
Building hope through safe, long-term, life-changing relationships has led to years of strong impact and results. In the next couple of months, we will spotlight Class of 2025 seniors as they sprint towards graduation in May. I encourage you to stay up to date on our blog and our monthly newsletter as we celebrate the successes of these incredible students - I could not be more proud of all that they’ve accomplished.
Serving with you,
Aaron Story
CEO & President, Elevate Indianapolis