Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During their regular luncheon meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, the Madison Woman's Club heard from Gina Rutherford, with the local Take Stock in Children program.
Take Stock in Children is a statewide mentoring and college-readiness program serving low-income, academically qualified students. The program pairs students whose family meets certain economic requirements and whose grades show promise of academic success. The program pairs students with mentors from the community who help guide the students through a variety of issues and topics; from applying for student financial assistance to help with developing good study habits, and more.
At the end of the program, those students who successfully complete the program will receive a scholarship to a Florida state college, university or technical college of their choice in order to pursue their educational goals. Locally, the Take Stock in Children program is administered by the Madison County Foundation for Excellence in Education. The Foundation provides the scholarship funding for those students who finish the program. Currently, there are over 10,000 volunteer mentors working with 45 local programs serving the entire state. While speaking to the Woman's Club, Rutherford thanked those club members who had served as a mentor in the past and re-enforced the idea that many more volunteers are needed to help the program have continued success in the future. Currently, Take Stock in Children boasts a 96 percent graduation rate, a 96 percent college enrollment rate and a 67 percent college graduation rate among its participants.
For more information on Take Stock in Children and how you can possibly serve as a volunteer mentor, please visit www.takestockinchildren.org.
The Madison Woman's Club meets on the second Thursday of each month, at the Woman's Club Building, at 11:30 a.m. The Woman's Club Building is located on Lake Shore Drive, in Madison.