2nd Annual Ride + Raise Recap

On Monday, October 30th, Minds Matter Boston teamed up with The Handle Bar Fenway for our 2nd Annual Ride + Raise! 

Thank you to everyone who joined us and raised over $1,000 for Minds Matter Boston - we had a fantastic spooky spin with Brendan at The Handle Bar!

Run the 2018 Boston Marathon for Minds Matter!

Minds Matter Boston is proud to be an official charity of the John Hancock Boston Marathon® Non-Profit Program!

We have received 2 invitational entries for the 2018 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16th and we want YOU to run with us. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 17th, 2017 at 5:00PM ET.

#RUNFORMMB

Welcome Back From Minds Matter Boston

2017 FALL NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Minds Matter is back in session! Our seniors are building balanced college lists, our juniors are reflecting on their summer programs, and our new sophomores are preparing for their first session this Saturday. 

This year, we are serving 88 students - our largest class to date -and we have over 185 volunteers donating their time every Saturday. We even have a waitlist of volunteer mentors for each of the classes!

By enhancing our program with an expansion of our Writing and Critical Thinking course to sophomores and juniors, and adding the support of a Program Director, we will be able to provide the students with even more comprehensive programming.

We could not undertake these student, programming and staff additions without your generous support. We thank you, and look forward to your continued commitment to our organization and the students of Boston.

With gratitude,

Rachel Kanter, Executive Director

MINDS MATTER IS GROWING

Meet Jada Alexander, our new AmeriCorps Program Director. Jada is a Minds Matter Boston mentee alumna ‘12 and New York University graduate ‘16.

She spent the past year serving as a College Advisor in BPS. We are so lucky to have her join the team!

SUMMER PROGRAMS

Our students spent their summers at Duke, John Hopkins, Stanford and other institutions of higher education.

They return with a matured outlook and a first-hand experience of college life.

 

 

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Minds Matter Boston was featured on NBC Boston's Making the Grade!

Watch the full video here, and learn more about Paola and her mentoring journey. 

Thank you, Shamrock Foundation!

Thank you Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation for inviting Minds Matter to participate in the 50/50 Raffle at October 2nd's preseason game against the Hornets!

We raised just under $3,000 and had an amazing time cheering on the Celtics while raising awareness about Minds Matter Boston.

For more photos from the game (including our OnlyInBOS Snapchat takeover!), check out the 2017-2018 Minds Matter Boston Program Year album on Facebook.

Support Minds Matter at the Celtics on October 2nd!

We're excited to announce that Minds Matter Boston has been selected as the 50/50 Raffle Charity for the Boston Celtics Pre-Season game on Monday, October 2nd!

Stop by any of the 50/50 kiosks at TD Garden on Monday night to purchase a raffle ticket for your shot at winning half of all proceeds...and support Minds Matter Boston!

The Minds Matter Boston Ride + Raise is BACK!

Join us on Monday, October 15th, for our 2nd Annual Ride + Raise Fundraiser at The Handle Bar Fenway.

Spin, sweat and support Minds Matter Boston and our mission to prepare highly motivated, low-income students for college with this 45-minute music driven class.

Purchase your ticket below!

Check us out on NBC's "Making the Grade"!

Did you catch Minds Matter on NBC Boston's "Making the Grade" with Frank Holland on September 13th?

Watch the full interview with Minds Matter Boston Senior, Paola (City on a Hill Charter Public Schools 2018), and Minds Matter Boston Alumnus, Dale (Tufts University 2021), right here.

Thank you, NBC Boston, for helping us raise awareness about Minds Matter and our impact on the local community!

Senior Class Orientation & Welcome Picnic

On Saturday, September 9th, we kicked off the 2017-2018 Program Year with Senior Orientation at MIT!

Seniors reconnected with mentors, came up with team names, set goals for their final year in the program, and reviewed the curriculum for the school year.

For more photos, check out the 2017-2018 Minds Matter Boston Program Year album on Facebook!

Letter from Our Executive Director: 2017 Year In Review

Dear Friends of Minds Matter Boston,
 
What a year of growth and accomplishment! We expanded our program by 10% and served 80 students, our largest group to date. We established an Alumni Program that tracks and supports our mentees through college and beyond. We also piloted a writing program to enhance our sophomores’ writing skills, and we exceeded our FY17 revenue goal by 39%! These successes would not have been possible without YOU -– our donors, volunteers, alumni and supporters. Thank you!
 
This spring, our 14th Minds Matter Boston graduating class gained admission to the nation’s top universities, including Boston College, Dartmouth College, Tufts College, Wellesley College and Williams College. Three years ago, most of our students only dreamed of attending a selective university. Unaware of how to begin to prepare for college success, lacking resources to navigate the complex admissions process, and deterred by the sticker price of tuition, college seemed truly out of reach. Today, each of them will be attending a 4-year university, and more than half of them will be attending Top 50 schools with generous financial aid. This year, the average Senior received $44,000 in first-year financial aid, meeting an impressive 98% of their need.
 
We could not be more proud of our Seniors and our volunteers who dedicated every Saturday to Minds Matter. Collectively, the Senior Mentors donated 7,200 hours over the past 3 years to help their students succeed. This level of sustained commitment and generosity is extraordinary, and a tribute to the rewards of mentorship.
 
This year marked the first year of our new Writing Program. The curriculum helped Sophomores strengthen their writing and critical thinking skills while advocating for change. To give just one example, the students researched the impact of suspension on student progress, and sent their findings and suggested alternatives to Assistant Superintendents in the Boston Public School district. The administrators responded with a commitment to consider adoption of their recommendations. “Writing for a real reason” not only improved student vocabulary and persuasion, it empowered our students--they learned they could speak up about real problems, and have effect.
 
These exceptional program outcomes and new initiatives were a direct result of the generous support Minds Matter Boston received this year. The Holiday Drive and Spring Soiree each exceeded all financial expectations and will provide a strong foundation for the upcoming program year. Again, thank you to everyone who donated their time, enthusiasm and gifts to these events.
 
We are looking forward to another exciting year of growth and success in Fiscal Year 2018!

Sincerely,
Rachel Kanter
Executive Director

#MentoringNight at Fenway Park with MMP

On Tuesday, June 27th, Minds Matter Boston joined over 1,000 mentors & mentees for ‪#‎MentoringNight‬ at Fenway Park.

Thank you, Mass Mentoring, for including us in this wonderful annual celebration of relationships!

For more photos, check out the 2016-2017 Minds Matter Boston Program Year album on Facebook!

Thank you for your support at the Spring Soiree!

Thank you for joining us at the Minds Matter Boston Spring Soiree on Thursday, June 15th!

With the help of over 400 community members and supporters, we had our most successful Soiree to date and raised over $165,000 for the organization.

Thank you to our event sponsors, in-kind donors and guests for supporting our mission to provide highly motivated, low-income high school students with the resources necessary to gain admission to, enroll in and graduate from four-year colleges.

For more photos from evening, check out the 2017 Minds Matter Boston Spring Soiree album on Facebook.

We look forward to seeing you next year!