27/03: Volunteer Spotlight: How Nancy Levy Plants the Seeds of Success
Category: Dollars for Scholars
Posted by: matt
Guest Post by Lauren Costella, National Volunteer Coordinator
"All the flowers of tomorrow are the seeds of today." ~ Anonymous
Nancy Levy's passion for inspiring change and investing in education emerged early in life, thanks in part to a former grammar school teacher who told her class that "you shouldn't waste time, and when you do something have something to show for it."
At the time, these words were meant to inspire summertime projects for young students, but Nancy has taken them to heart her whole life. From her ten years as Board of Education chair to her work as President of the Windsor Locks (CT) Dollars for Scholars Chapter, she has made a lifelong effort to plant the seeds of student success by improving advocacy for, and access to, higher education.
Windsor Locks is a small town, literally; it takes up only twelve square miles. Many students do not come from affluent backgrounds, and many families see education as an impossible dream or luxury, instead of as an achievable reality and a necessary step for student and community success. During Nancy's decade on the Board of Education-a role taken on after all three of her children had finished high school-she helped cultivate a stronger community understanding about the importance of long-term educational investment, even from those without children in the school system. After ten years, though, she wanted a new challenge with more direct impact.
Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars was a natural transition. The chapter not only represents a visible, positive movement for education, but also allows for immediate feedback from students impacted by receiving scholarship money. Nancy described one memorable example: "One student ... had received a scholarship to attend school, but because of family issues could not enroll until two years later. She asked if her scholarship was still available. Because our chapter holds scholarships for up to two years, we told her that she could still utilize that scholarship money. She was thrilled!" Moments like these keep Nancy inspired and reaffirms why she commits her time to volunteering for Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars-her chapter can literally make the difference in whether a student continues school or not.
In addition, the chapter is working on more than just scholarships. In order to get students interested in college early, the local high school desperately wanted to bus all 8th and 9th graders to visit local campuses. Unfortunately, the cost was too much for them to take on, so Nancy and her chapter went to work fundraising for the program. A lot of hard work and $3,000 later, all of these 8th and 9th graders will be taking a local college tour. As Nancy explains, it's one of the projects that stemmed from the harmony between the high school and her chapter; thanks to good communication, listening and mutual respect, the two organizations function as complimentary partners rather than competing adversaries.
Nancy's relationship with high schools is only the beginning. She sees a need to develop such mutual respect throughout all of Windsor Locks, to help create successful students. This involves, among many other things, continuous work to recruit volunteers. (See below for some of Nancy's indispensable advice, as well as new recruitment materials from Dollars for Scholars.) Fortunately, though recruiting is never easy, Nancy's built a network of passionate contributors, some of whom have been around since the chapter's beginning eight years ago.
All of those volunteers know one thing: encouraging students to dream big has equally big payoffs, improving the community and contributing to a nationwide movement of higher education and success. But this effect only happens if the seeds of success are planted early, and that's why Nancy sees her chapter as a group of "community gardeners": "We are planting the seeds," she said. "Giving scholarships or being known in the community tells students that we care about them...we are telling students that we notice the work they have done, and we care about how they do."
With Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars helping sow those seeds, students are reaping the benefits: big dreams, new opportunities, and, ultimately, educational success.
Why not donate today and help a chapter like Nancy's?
"All the flowers of tomorrow are the seeds of today." ~ Anonymous
Nancy Levy's passion for inspiring change and investing in education emerged early in life, thanks in part to a former grammar school teacher who told her class that "you shouldn't waste time, and when you do something have something to show for it."
At the time, these words were meant to inspire summertime projects for young students, but Nancy has taken them to heart her whole life. From her ten years as Board of Education chair to her work as President of the Windsor Locks (CT) Dollars for Scholars Chapter, she has made a lifelong effort to plant the seeds of student success by improving advocacy for, and access to, higher education.Windsor Locks is a small town, literally; it takes up only twelve square miles. Many students do not come from affluent backgrounds, and many families see education as an impossible dream or luxury, instead of as an achievable reality and a necessary step for student and community success. During Nancy's decade on the Board of Education-a role taken on after all three of her children had finished high school-she helped cultivate a stronger community understanding about the importance of long-term educational investment, even from those without children in the school system. After ten years, though, she wanted a new challenge with more direct impact.
Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars was a natural transition. The chapter not only represents a visible, positive movement for education, but also allows for immediate feedback from students impacted by receiving scholarship money. Nancy described one memorable example: "One student ... had received a scholarship to attend school, but because of family issues could not enroll until two years later. She asked if her scholarship was still available. Because our chapter holds scholarships for up to two years, we told her that she could still utilize that scholarship money. She was thrilled!" Moments like these keep Nancy inspired and reaffirms why she commits her time to volunteering for Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars-her chapter can literally make the difference in whether a student continues school or not.In addition, the chapter is working on more than just scholarships. In order to get students interested in college early, the local high school desperately wanted to bus all 8th and 9th graders to visit local campuses. Unfortunately, the cost was too much for them to take on, so Nancy and her chapter went to work fundraising for the program. A lot of hard work and $3,000 later, all of these 8th and 9th graders will be taking a local college tour. As Nancy explains, it's one of the projects that stemmed from the harmony between the high school and her chapter; thanks to good communication, listening and mutual respect, the two organizations function as complimentary partners rather than competing adversaries.
Nancy's relationship with high schools is only the beginning. She sees a need to develop such mutual respect throughout all of Windsor Locks, to help create successful students. This involves, among many other things, continuous work to recruit volunteers. (See below for some of Nancy's indispensable advice, as well as new recruitment materials from Dollars for Scholars.) Fortunately, though recruiting is never easy, Nancy's built a network of passionate contributors, some of whom have been around since the chapter's beginning eight years ago.
All of those volunteers know one thing: encouraging students to dream big has equally big payoffs, improving the community and contributing to a nationwide movement of higher education and success. But this effect only happens if the seeds of success are planted early, and that's why Nancy sees her chapter as a group of "community gardeners": "We are planting the seeds," she said. "Giving scholarships or being known in the community tells students that we care about them...we are telling students that we notice the work they have done, and we care about how they do."
With Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars helping sow those seeds, students are reaping the benefits: big dreams, new opportunities, and, ultimately, educational success.
Why not donate today and help a chapter like Nancy's?
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