Hoop Dreams Ascends Into The
New Millenium
Scholarship Program Seeks to Raise a Record
$500,000 in Scholarships in 2000
The Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund wouldn't be what it is today without a field of great sponsors, mentors, internship providers and volunteers, among other contributors.
That's why founder and volunteer Executive Director Susie Kay, and the rest of the Hoop Dreams team, want to extend a huge thanks to everyone who has propelled the growth of the dynamic non-profit organization.
Over a three-year period, Hoop Dreams has matured from a one-day fundraising event into a permanent, volunteer-driven, year-round endeavor. Hoop Dreams raises college scholarship funds for outstanding and deserving Washington, D.C. inner-city public high school students and connects them to the professional community through mentoring and internship programs. These programs provide a unique opportunity for both communities to come together and enrich each other's lives, while investing in the future of the nation's capital.
The growth of Hoop Dreams has been phenomenal. There has been an 83-fold increase in scholarships awarded since Hoop Dreams began, from $3,000 in 1996, to $20,000 in 1997, to $125,000 in 1998, to $250,000 in 1999 -- totaling almost $400,000 in academic scholarships. The scholarship fundraising goal for 2000 is $500,000. That goal is ambitious. However, it must be met for the graduating seniors and the nearly 200 Hoop Dreams scholars, many of whom will need scholarship renewals. Hoop Dreams' main commitment continues to be put in the resources exactly where they belong -- directly to the students in the form of academic college scholarships.
The escalation in fundraising parallels a rise in the number scholarships from four in 1996 to 80 in 1999. Overall, nearly 200 students have received scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Almost all scholarship funds are distributed at H.D. Woodson High School, as well as the Academy of Finance and Business, a public charter school within H.D. Woodson. Woodson is an inner-city school located east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. Thirty-three percent of Woodson's 1999 graduating class earned scholarships. Students at six other Washington public schools also received scholarships.
But Hoop Dreams specializes in more than college scholarships. It also facilitates programs that prepare students for higher education and beyond, while working to connect these students to the Washington, D.C. professional community. Hoop Dreams programs have fostered countless meaningful relationships and are working to build bridges that bring our community together.
The following statistics illustrate that fact:
More than 100 students have been paired with mentors to help prepare them for college and the professional world.
Nearly 100 Hoop Dreams students have completed Princeton Review SAT prep courses offered to Hoop Dreams at no cost; SAT scores have increased dramatically, some by 150 points.
More than 70 jobs and internships have been created, helping students develop skills they need to succeed in college in their careers and communities.
The dramatic growth of Hoop Dreams is due largely to the dozens of sponsors who support the program. Top sponsors include EDS, The Ledecky Foundation, The McGettigan Foundation, Chris Havener and The Keller Foundation, USAirways, Sallie Mae, The Phillip L. Graham Fund, The Princeton Review, Coca Cola, AND1, KPMG, NBC4 and the Reach-In Foundation. These and many other sponsors and supporters have shown remarkable leadership and were instrumental in Hoop Dreams far exceeding its 1999 scholarship fundraising goal.
"When organizations sponsor Hoop Dreams, they are supporting the students who need college scholarships, the mentoring program and the ability for us to find internships and jobs for Hoop Dreams students," Susie Kay says. "Their involvement is critical to the future of Hoop Dreams."
Susie, the driving force behind Hoop Dreams, has been helped by her co-director, Steve Boyd, and many other people from the Washington, D.C. area. She teaches American Government and History at H.D. Woodson's Academy of Business and Finance. Several years ago, upon noticing that many of her students were struggling with the financial burdens of pursuing a college education, she embarked on a mission to help them.
Inspired by the award-winning documentary "Hoop Dreams," she created an organization with the same name. The Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund started in 1996 as a one-day, 3-on-3 basketball tournament that raised $3,000 and four scholarships. Since then, Hoop Dreams has become an effort in racial reconciliation by bridging the gap between African-American students mostly from H.D. Woodson and the Academy of Finance and Business and a diverse group of Washington, D.C. professionals on the other side of the Anacostia River.
The tournament was Hoop Dreams' sole source of funding in 1996, but that has since changed due to the participation of corporate sponsors. Susie grabbed the interest of the first corporate executive who became aware of Hoop Dreams through the power of the media.
In 1997, she was being interviewed about the upcoming Hoop Dreams tournament on a Sunday around 6 a.m., on WJZW, a Washington, D.C. radio station. She was stressing how corporations need to make investments to brighten the future of Washington, D.C.'s inner-city high-school students. One listener with a compassionate voice was EDS Corporate Senior Vice President George Newstrom. He immediately donated $10,000, far above the then average of $50, to fuel the program's momentum and growth.
Since then, Hoop Dreams has never been the same.