AAA Scholarship Foundation

We Make Academic Achievement Accessible

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Warren Brinson, Taylor Kennedy & Caroline Kennedy

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Warren Brinson, Taylor Kennedy & Caroline Kennedy
Savannah, GA

The right academic environment can make all the difference in the world when it comes to helping children build successful futures.  Take Warren Brinson, for example.  Some of our readers may remember Warren from a previous spotlight story from December 2018.   Gifted in both academics and sports from a young age, Warren had the potential to rise as a star in the classroom and on the football field.  And once he was given a chance to attend a school that met his needs, he excelled, completing high school early and receiving numerous college football offers.  However, had it not been for the AAA Scholarship Foundation and its generous donors, Warren’s story could have been much different.

A few years ago, when Warren was preparing to enter middle school, his mother, Monik Brinson, feared that the school he was zoned to attend would not be a good fit.  She worried that he would get wrapped up in a negative environment and a crowd that would hinder instead of help grow his budding potential.  As a single parent raising three children on a limited income, Monik could not afford many other options for her children’s education, but she was determined to find a solution. Her answer came in the form of an AAA Scholarship, which would help her afford tuition at a school that could cultivate her son’s talents.

After researching schools in their area, Monik found the one that she knew would be the perfect fit – Savannah Christian Preparatory School.  Aside from its excellent academic and athletic programs, Monik was drawn towards the structured and caring environment at the school.  For one, students were required to wear uniforms, helping to eliminate the idea that students would treat one another differently based on clothing.

The school was also diverse in terms of race, ethnicity and backgrounds among students, and there seemed to be a solid sense of respect for one another throughout the school.  And shortly after Warren started to attend Savannah Christian, when he encountered some trouble with some other students, the administrators were quick to resolve the issue, making both Monik and Warren feel at ease with the school they chose.

After a period of adjusting, Warren acclimated to his new school environment and excelled in his classes and sports.  Over the years, his hard work paid off.  He was chosen to attend the prestigious IMG Academy for football – and his success only continued from there.  During 2019, he was a top recruit for college football and received many offers, including Auburn University, University of Florida and University of Georgia.  He ultimately opted to stay in his home state and chose the University of Georgia (UGA).

In December 2019, Warren was able to finish high school early and enrolled at UGA in January 2020 on a full football scholarship and will be playing defensive tackle on the UGA football team.  As he begins his first year of college, he is focusing his studies on areas that will lead him to either be a sports broadcaster or land him a job in the pharmaceutical industry.

When asked about his experience in the scholarship program, Warren is thankful for the opportunities it has given him and his family and wants to use his experience to impact other children.  “Maybe one day, if I make it to the NFL, I’ll be able to contribute to the AAA Scholarship Foundation so that I can help others walk the same grounds I have walked,” says Warren.

If his past success is any indication, there is no doubt that Warren can achieve anything he sets his mind to accomplish. And Warren is not the only one in his family that has experienced great success in the scholarship program.  Seeing the incredible impact Savannah Christian Prep had on Warren, Monik chose to enroll her two daughters, Taylor and Caroline, at the school, also on AAA Scholarships.

Taylor, who initially struggled in the classroom, was able to bring her grades up to honor roll status thanks to the extra help and tutoring programs offered.  Taylor is now in the 8th grade and loves science and art and plays on the school’s basketball team.  She has become quite the budding artist, placing in several art contests, including being chosen as one of only 10 middle school students to receive an offer to attend Savannah College of Art & Design when she finishes high school.  Aside from a love of art, she also has great admiration for animals and is interested in studying zoology.

Caroline, Monik’s youngest child, is also thriving at Savannah Christian.  Currently, in the third grade, Caroline has made it on the school’s high honor roll and loves playing in sports like her older siblings, including basketball, soccer, track and gymnastics.

When asked her thoughts on her family’s experience over the past few years, Monik says, “In one word, grateful.  I made a lot of sacrifices to get my children to this point – to make sure that they had a good education and everything they needed to succeed – and I could not have done it alone.  AAA Scholarship Foundation and its supporters gave us a helping hand, ensuring that my kids’ dreams could become a reality.”

About AAA Scholarship Foundation

The AAA Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships solely to qualifying low-income, disabled and displaced students. The typical AAA Scholarship student is an ethnic minority living with a struggling single parent/caregiver in a high crime community. More than 80 percent of AAA scholarships are distributed to children at or below 200 percent of poverty. Many children are either below grade level, failing at their previous school or both when they receive a scholarship. Parents, who find their children in these circumstances and are concerned about their future, look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges their child and will reverse inadequate learning, social patterns and the potential lifelong negative impact. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure.

AAA Scholarships are funded in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Nevada by corporations that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. The AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarship organizations exclusively serving qualifying low-income, disabled and displaced students through these tax credit scholarship programs in multiple states. AAA Scholarship Foundation provides your company with the convenience and efficiency of a single solution for participating in multiple-state Tax Credit Scholarship Programs. For more information, or to learn how your corporation can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri@aaascholarships.org or 888 707-2465 ext. 730.

Click here for a pdf of this student spotlight.

Three Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a High School for Your Teen

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The recent article published on The74million.org, “Giving Parents Information Helps Them Choose the Best Schools for Their Kids. How 3 Data-Sharing Tools Are Working for NY Families” has great ideas about the information parents and guardians can use to help guide them in their search for the right high school for their teens.

In it, Peter Sloane, chairman, and CEO of the Heckscher Foundation for Children writes about his organization’s experience providing different data to parents in an effort to help them make an informed decision about different high schools in New York. But we believe the three types of information that he discusses are universally important for decision-makers everywhere:

  1. High school graduation rates
  2. Financial aid application completion
  3. College completion rates linked back to the high school level

Finding schools with strong graduation rates is critical. What is considered a strong graduation rate? Sloane recommends at least 70 percent. He goes on to explain that they also “… looked at financial aid application completion rates. Consider that 90 percent of high school seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — FAFSA — go on to college immediately after graduation, compared with just 55 percent who do not.” Obviously, FAFSA completion can be a strong indicator of potential college enrollment!

Although enrollment into college is important, we know the graduating from college is usually the ultimate goal. From multiple studies conducted by the Urban Institute, we know that a child participating in scholarship programs like the ones that AAA administers – for even as little as three years – has a positive correlation with them enrolling in, and ultimately graduating from, college.

We understand that it’s not easy for busy parents and guardians to choose the best educational fit for their children so we hope that this information is helpful to you. Please let us know some other data points that you’ve found to be helpful so that we can all become better at this tough but important work!

Are Your Kids Reaching Their Full Potential?

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iStock_000053850462_SmallIt’s a thought that almost certainly crosses every parent’s mind, “am I doing everything in my power to help my child reach their full potential?” Often times parents think, am I paying my child enough attention? Am I making enough money to provide them with what they need to succeed? Am I doing something that will hurt them later on in life? And on, and on with the questions. Chances are that if you’re asking these questions in the first place, you’re probably doing a great job providing for your children, but have you ever thought to ask these questions of their school?

Is my child’s school providing the right environment to help them learn? Are they learning all the vital skills they will need to succeed later in life? Do they enjoy going to school, and do they view it as a positive environment? These are all questions you should be asking of your child’s school. After all, they spend six to eight hours there a day, sometimes more! If you can’t answer these questions, or if the answer is no to a lot of them, it might be time to take a closer look at what you can do to find a school that is the right fit for your child.

Many parents believe that they don’t have any other options when it comes to where their child goes to school, other than the public school in their district, but this is not always the case. There are many options families have to remove their child from a school that simply isn’t the right fit, and put them in one that is the perfect fit! One of those options, school choice, is one that isn’t talked about all that often.

School choice is a program that allows students and their families the option of attending a private school of their choice, often partially- or fully-funded by a scholarship. These scholarships are available through programs such as the AAA Scholarship Foundation, are funded by tax-credit donations, and awarded based on a variety of criteria. Currently, approximately 190,000 students across the U.S. are using tax-credit scholarship programs to help pay for tuition and 14 states have enacted tax-credit-funded scholarships programs. There’s no doubt that these programs are helping a lot of children reach their full potential, and there’s no reason they can’t help your child!

Children who attend school in an environment that causes stress, anxiety or depression are less likely to learn and grow to their full potential. Instead of focusing on the lesson, they are focusing on their environment and how badly they wish to be somewhere else. As a parent, you can help your child by providing them with an environment where they can truly learn and thrive. In fact, one of our most recent scholarship recipients, Ky’mier Bowie, experienced just this, when transferring from his volatile public school, to a private school of his choice. His struggles (and successes) are highlighted in our Scholarship Spotlight; “’Before I started attending Fruitful Ground, my family was constantly leaving work to come up to my assigned school because I was frequently getting into fights,’ admits Ky’mier. Expectations of success and thriving were a new concept for Ky’mier at school. Before, he had just hoped that he survived each day. In a short time he did a complete turnaround.”

Stories like Ky’mier’s, of children being given the opportunity to reach their full potential, are becoming more and more common in the U.S. and this can be attributed to the success of the school choice program! If you would like more information on how we can help your child reach his or her full potential by going to a private school of their choice, contact us today!

 

 

Arizona’s Disabled-Displaced Scholarship (aka Lexie’s Law)

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Ten years ago, Lexie Weck, an Arizona 14-year-old living with autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation, was enrolled in a public school that didn’t have the resources necessary to meet her physical or educational needs. “Basically, they were offering not-great babysitting,” said Lexie’s mother, Andrea Weck Robertson. Unable to afford the high cost of tuition to a private school that could support Lexie’s needs, Andrea was inspired to make a change.

Fast forward 10 years and Lexie is now enrolled in a private school that teaches kids with disabilities and has the resources to better meet their needs. Even though she is non-verbal, she is now able to communicate through an iPad and sign language. This was made possible through the Arizona Disabled-Displaced Scholarship program, also known as Lexie’s Law – in honor of Lexie herself! Andrea’s dedication to helping families in a similar situation as hers is was lead to the passing of Lexie’s Law in 2009. Since then, the scholarship program has helped hundreds of children with physical, mental and educational disabilities, and even children in Arizona’s foster care program.

The law, which expanded on Arizona’s existing scholarship program, allows corporations to donate funds to nonprofit, school-tuition organizations that provide school choice scholarships, in turn, these businesses receive a tax credit for that donation. This year, small businesses were given the opportunity to donate and receive tax credits as well, and many think this expansion to small business donations is what lead to this years’ increase in donations. With 13 of the 28 total donations coming from small businesses, the program reached its maximum of $5 million in donations within weeks of the fiscal year!

“I feel very proud and very grateful to help other families that need the scholarships to be able to change their lives as much as it changed my daughter’s life,” Andrea said. Lexie and her Mom dedicate time each year to speaking with families about the scholarship program. They want families to be aware that they not only have the right to choose, but they have the opportunity to as well. A lot of families do not know that there are resources to get their child out of public school and into a place that is better suited for their needs; there is money available.

Since 2012, the AAA Scholarship Foundation has worked with schools and families in Arizona to help distribute scholarships, giving children, with disabilities, the opportunity to receive an education best suited for their needs. This year, with funding coming in from multiple sources, and at a record pace, AAA Scholarship Foundation is happy to have the opportunity to help more families than ever before. If you or someone you know could potentially benefit from the Arizona Disabled-Displaced scholarship program, please fill out our application to see if we can help!

For more information on how our scholarship foundation is helping low-income families and those with children experiencing learning disabilities, or physical disabilities in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Nevada, visit our website.

 

Five Benefits of Donating to an Educational Scholarship Foundation

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benefitsofdonating

    1. Giving a student a chance at a brighter future.

      When students are awarded an educational scholarship from the AAA Scholarship Foundation, they are given a fair shot at success. Scholarship programs give children, from low income families the chance to decide for themselves which school to attend, one that is best suited for them. Take our very own Noah Allen, for example. Noah Allen, a high school junior in Georgia, comes from a low-income, single-parent household in a difficult neighborhood, and was underperforming in school. Since being awarded an educational scholarship and enrolling at The Dinoff School for the Gifted, Noah has become a leader both in school at at home. “Noah is a shining example of what our state can do for its future,” says Lesley Dinoff, the school’s Headmaster. “He will have options and choices that he never would have had without the AAA scholarship. Giving families access to educational opportunity will only reward us as a community, state and nation as we will see with Noah as he becomes an adult, able to not only survive, but thrive.”

    2. Tax credit

      When individuals or corporations make a redirected tax payment to a tax credit scholarship foundation, they may receive up to a 100 percent tax credit for every dollar they redirect. Your contribution can be used to fund scholarships for children in a specific region, or across a state.

    3. Higher graduation rates

      When students receive educational scholarships, allowing them to go to the school of their choice, results in a significantly higher graduation rate. An evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP) — a voucher program for low-income children in Washington, D.C. — revealed that over 90 percent of DCOSP students graduated from high school, compared to just 70 percent of their peers with similar characteristics who remained in D.C. public schools.

    4. Increases in public school achievement

      Research has shown that greater degrees of competition are associated with greater improvements in students’ test scores at the public schools. This is also true for students with disabilities. A 2008 study conducted by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, evaluating the impact of exposure to a voucher program for disabled students in Florida, concluded that “contrary to the hypothesis that school choice harms students who remain in public schools, this study finds that students eligible for vouchers who remained in the public schools made greater academic improvements as their school choices increased.”

    5. Personal satisfaction

      Of course many will say that helping those in need “is the right thing to do,” but there’s more to it than that. A 2008 study to examine if there is a direct connection between one’s financial and emotional wealth, conducted at the Harvard Business School by Professor Michael Norton and his colleagues, “showed that those who reported spending more on others, what the team called ‘prosocial’ spending, also reported a greater level of happiness, while how much they spent on themselves had no impact on happiness.” That’s right, spending money on someone else can make you even happier than spending it on yourself!

    As you can see, there are many reasons to redirect your tax payments to an educational scholarship foundation. Everyone has different causes that are near and dear to their heart, but contributing to the future success of a student has many benefits that go far beyond your initial contribution.

    The AAA Scholarship Foundation team has invested more than 15 years devoted to passionately advocating for the under-served, under-represented and academically disadvantaged members of our communities. Find out how you can contribute to change the future of someone in need through your redirected tax payment.