Category: News

Woodlawn United fosters a ‘reciprocal relationship’ with Birmingham Promise interns

Posted on March 13, 2024

Woodlawn United plays a central role in spearheading the revitalization efforts of Woodlawn, epitomizing the ethos of community-led renewal as it becomes a safer and healthier place for people, families, and businesses to thrive.

For the past two years, the nonprofit has pursued its mission with the help of interns from Birmingham Promise.

As part of the bargain, Woodlawn United is investing in the interns, helping them build job skills and career networks. However, it also involves acquiring something of worth in exchange.

“It’s a reciprocal relationship,” said Mashonda Taylor, CEO at Woodlawn United. “When rebuilding and revitalizing a neighborhood, having a young person’s perspective is critical. We need their voice and their involvement. They’re helping build a community they’d want to return to.”

Taylor is incredibly excited that Woodlawn United’s most recent intern – who served in the fall and was asked back for this spring semester — is from Woodlawn High School. Fretrice Rogers is a senior and the school’s head cheerleading captain, and she has become an integral part of the Woodlawn United team during her Birmingham Promise internship. “She’s a colleague,” said Auriel Thompson, the Community Initiatives Manager for Woodlawn United.

Taylor makes a point of having Fretrice participate in meetings of all kinds, providing her with an atmosphere to voice her opinion and offering an opportunity for innovative thinking. She also welcomes and encourages partners and participants to engage with Fretrice in meetings.

“I want her to be immersed in our work,” Taylor said. “I want her to build a social network. I want to elevate her to be successful.”

The internship provides Fretrice with exposure to a wide range of experiences and hands-on administrative tasks under Thompson’s day-to-day guidance.

That includes taking meeting notes, putting data into spreadsheets, sending calendar invitations, and working in Canva and PowerPoint, among other things.

Woodlawn United also prioritizes tasks that require critical thinking and creative skills.

“She’s always going to find something to do,” Thompson said.

Fretrice also has helped Woodlawn United connect more closely with her peers at Woodlawn High, making sure, for instance, that the cheerleading squad was on hand to mark the community’s holiday tree lighting.

In addition to the day-to-day work activities, the Woodlawn United team talks with the intern about college and career goals.

When Fretrice came to the organization, her career goal was to become a traveling nurse like a family member she’d seen during the pandemic. After being exposed to the work of Woodlawn United and being introduced to the concept of development for the good of a community, Fretrice decided she wanted to go into real estate.

Taylor knows that those plans are still subject to change, but the important thing, she said, is making sure Fretrice knows her options and is thinking about the bigger picture and things that aren’t taught in the classroom.

“Fretrice has been accepted into more than 20 universities,” Taylor said. “Part of what we do involves asking her questions and discussing her options.”

One option will be to continue working at Woodlawn United even after she graduates from high school and starts college. And that is not an empty promise from Woodlawn United.

The organization’s former Birmingham Promise intern and Carver High School alum, Makiyah Barrow, is now studying at Lawson State Community College but continues to work part-time at Woodlawn United.

Woodlawn United believes in taking a holistic approach when investing in an intern. They use it as an opportunity to continue to reach back and support the younger community to gain exposure, wisdom, and knowledge to continue to prosper and thrive in the future.

Taylor also encourages other organizations to partner with the Birmingham Promise internship program.

“Take the time to invest in young people,” she said. “It’s going to come back exponentially for the good of our city. It’s not just that you’re helping the students develop jobs or even soft skills, but you’re positioning them in a place to fire those synapses and make connections they will use throughout their lives. It changes their worldview and perspective. That’s how you change communities.”

Birmingham mayor highlights Birmingham Promise at SXSW EDU conference

Posted on March 8, 2024

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and AL.com’s Trisha Powell Crain took to the national stage this week to highlight the impact of Birmingham Promise. Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise, was on hand for their presentation at Austin’s SXSW EDU conference. What an honor to be featured in this way!

Click here to read the full story.

Birmingham Water Works highlights its experiences with Birmingham Promise interns

Posted on February 16, 2024

Birmingham Promise is blessed to work with so many local businesses and organizations that provide intern opportunities for seniors in Birmingham City Schools. Birmingham Water Works recently shared its experiences working with interns from Birmingham Promise. Thank you, Birmingham Water Works, for investing in the lives of Birmingham’s young people and helping to build the city’s workforce! As Birmingham Water Works said, “These students represent the bright future of Birmingham.”

Birmingham Promise named finalist in Birmingham Business Journal’s 2024 Nonprofit Awards

Posted on January 22, 2024

Birmingham Promise is honored to be included this year among the finalists for Top Young Nonprofit as the Birmingham Business Journal revives its nonprofit awards. https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2024/01/02/bbj-unveils-2024-nonprofit-awards-finalists.html

“Being included among this worthy group of finalists is a real compliment to our organization and to our team,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. “It is a recognition of where we have come in such a short time as we work to provide college and career opportunities to students in Birmingham City Schools.”

The BBJ awards recognize the important role nonprofits play in Birmingham, both as an industry and in the missions they serve. The awards recognize nonprofit organizations as well companies and volunteers that support them.

Finalists will be honored and winners will be announced at an event March 7 at The Fennec. Honorees also will be recognized in the March edition of the Birmingham Business Journal.

Congratulations to all the finalists – we are grateful to be in your company! And thanks, BBJ!

Balch & Bingham, McKinney Capital lead the way on Birmingham Promise fundraiser

Posted on November 20, 2023

Birmingham Promise teamed up recently with City Club Birmingham for the second annual “Night of Promise” to raise money for scholarships and internships for students in Birmingham City Schools.

The event was a great success, and Birmingham Promise is especially indebted to the presenting sponsors, Balch & Bingham and McKinney Capital. By supporting Birmingham Promise, these Birmingham businesses are supporting students in Birmingham City Schools and investing in the future of our city.

Both firms have a strong record of community involvement and business success.

Balch & Bingham was founded in 1922 and has long been regarded as one of Alabama’s top-tier law firms. It now has more than 200 attorneys throughout the Southeast, Texas and Washington, D.C.

McKinney Capital is a private, family-owned investment firm that grew out of a satellite-installation business started three decades ago by Roddy and Janice McKinney. It exclusively invests in field services businesses – that is, businesses deploying mobile technicians who serve commercial or residential consumers.

Thanks to the support of businesses like Balch & Bingham and McKinney Capital, Birmingham Promise is able to provide a range of college and career opportunities to students in Birmingham City Schools, including paid internships and up to four years of tuition-free college at public higher education institutions in Alabama. The goal is to remove financial barriers to a college education, foster professional skills and allow students to pursue their dreams.

“We couldn’t do what we do without the investments of our local business community,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. “We are so grateful to business leaders who recognize that investing in education doesn’t just nurture the future of individual students but also the future of our city. We are literally unleashing our own potential when we provide a pathway to success for these students.”

Since its launch in 2020, Birmingham Promise has provided 1,000 graduates with tuition assistance and other supports for college, and has provided 200 Birmingham high-school students with paid internships.

“By facilitating these opportunities, Balch & Bingham and McKinney Capital are actively nurturing Birmingham’s next generation of leaders,” Williams said. “Together, we are working to secure an even brighter future for our city, one student at a time.”

Birmingham Promise to expand work-based learning programs with new funding from Birmingham City Schools

Posted on June 28, 2023

Birmingham Promise plans to expand its internship program and add new work-based learning opportunities next year for younger students in Birmingham City Schools, thanks to funding approved Tuesday by the Birmingham Board of Education.

The board approved $240,000 to allow Birmingham Promise to quadruple the number of seniors placed in internships and to develop new programs that will allow sophomores and juniors to participate in shorter-term “shadowing” opportunities in the workplace.

“Birmingham Promise is taking career preparation and exposure to a higher level for students in Birmingham City Schools,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. “This is an enormous amount of growth for us. Our goal is to get every possible student in Birmingham City Schools high schools connected to some kind of Birmingham Promise work.”

For the most recent graduating class, internships were available only in the spring, and 50 seniors participated. Next year, internships will be available in both the fall and spring, and the goal is to have 100 students participating each semester. The funding from Birmingham City Schools will support the expansion by helping Birmingham Promise cover transportation expenses, provide professional development/training for interns, and host networking nights to bring students and employers together.

With the financial support from Birmingham City Schools, Birmingham Promise will also for the first time offer sophomores and juniors “shadowing” experiences where they’ll spend two days with professionals in a variety of fields to explore career opportunities. The goal is for 200 sophomores and 200 juniors to participate next year, hopefully setting the stage for full internships in the 12^th grade.

“We want to get 10^th- and 11^th-graders caught up in all of this sooner,” Williams told the school board.

Board President Neonta Williams said recent graduations in Birmingham City Schools highlighted the effect Birmingham Promise is already having on students. “I think I saw even more this year, just the excitement behind our 2023 graduates,” she said. “They’ve all been talking about participating in the program.”

Huffman High’s Markelle Scott referred to his internship in his valedictory address, saying that his grandfather’s death to cancer gave him an interest in studying oncology and an internship in an oncology lab through the Birmingham Promise equipped him to pursue his dreams.

Even though Birmingham Promise dollars will also help him pay for college, Scott said he is “grateful especially for the internship” at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB that gave him an early jump in the field of cancer research.

“It was a very great experience that will help me later on in life,” Scott said. “Through the Birmingham Promise, I’m already set to go and be great in my career.”

Birmingham’s Superintendent, Dr. Mark Sullivan, said Birmingham Promise and Birmingham City Schools share the same goals.

“We’re both working to prepare students for the future,” Sullivan said. “The ultimate judge of our success is whether our students leave us and are in a position to fulfill their dreams. By working together, we can do more to put our students on that path to success.”

Birmingham Promise programs are available only for students at Birmingham City Schools. Since its creation in 2020, Birmingham Promise has provided 200 internships and $5.5 million in tuition assistance to 1,000 graduates of Birmingham City Schools.

About Birmingham Promise

Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. It also manages a paid internship program that allows high school seniors to build valuable work experience. For more information on Birmingham Promise, visit http://www.birminghampromise.org/ or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Birmingham Promise Sets Record For Scholarship Applications

Posted on June 5, 2023

Wenonah High School Class of 2023 included 150 graduates, 25 merit scholars, 35 with college credit, two entering the military and more than $3 million in scholarship offers. (BCS)
dcwins.com

Birmingham Promise, which provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama, this year received a record number of college scholarship applications from students, with 524 graduating seniors accepted for the program.

Last year, 340 graduating seniors applied and were accepted to the program. The scholarships cover tuition and mandatory fees and are available to graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama.

“The purpose of Birmingham Promise scholarships is to make a college education more accessible and affordable to young people in Birmingham City Schools,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. “National studies show that programs like Birmingham Promise lead to higher rates of college enrollment and graduation, especially for low-income students of color. We expect and hope to see these numbers increase as we move forward.”

Among this year’s scholarship recipients is Karma Jefferson, who will graduate from Carver High School on June 2 and attend Alabama State University in the fall. She is featured in a Birmingham Promise video that will be shown at Birmingham City Schools graduations this week.

G.W. Carver High School’s Karma Jefferson, will graduate on June 2 and will attend Alabama State University. (PROVIDED)
“The beautiful thing about Birmingham Promise is that it gives you a chance — no matter if you didn’t play sports, join clubs, have the highest GPA — this is your chance,” she said on the video.

Since its creation in 2020, Birmingham Promise has provided $5.5 million in tuition assistance to 1,000 graduates of Birmingham City Schools. Students who have other scholarships and financial aid to cover tuition can still benefit from other elements of the Birmingham Promise program, including success coaches to help navigate challenges during college.

Before graduating, seniors in Birmingham City Schools also have an opportunity to get paid work experience as interns through Birmingham Promise. Internship applications for next year’s seniors also set a record this year, with more than 250 juniors asking for the opportunity to participate in the program and build their career skills. The largest of any previous year was 159.

Birmingham Promise also manages a paid internship program that allows high school seniors to build valuable work experience. For more information on Birmingham Promise, visit http://www.birminghampromise.org/ or follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Huffman High School submits top number of scholarship applications to Birmingham Promise

Posted on May 23, 2023

Birmingham Promise recently treated Huffman High School students to lunch with Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to celebrate their participation in the Birmingham Promise scholarship program.

The lunch May 11 recognized Huffman for submitting the highest number of scholarship applications among any graduating class at Birmingham City Schools. It also was a chance to applaud Huffman’s principal, Dr. John C. Lyons Jr., and senior counselor, Dr. Beverly Hackett, for their leadership and for making the celebration lunch possible.

In addition to boxed Chick-Fil-A lunches, students were able to meet the mayor and share their plans with him – and Mayor Woodfin was impressed with what he heard. “These young people are taking control of their future, and I’m so proud of them,” he said.

Those sentiments were echoed by Samantha Williams, the executive director of Birmingham Promise.
“These students are absolutely incredible,” Williams said. “They’re out here achieving their dreams and making their entire community proud, and we’re so happy to be even a small part of their success.”

Birmingham Promise provides up to four-years of college tuition for graduates of Birmingham City Schools to attend any public two-year or four-year college or university in Alabama. Since the program was initially launched by Mayor Woodfin’s administration in 2020, it has assisted more than 1,000 Birmingham graduates with college.

Birmingham Promise also offers Birmingham City Schools students an opportunity in high school to get paid internships with local businesses. For more information, visit www.birminghampromise.org.

Birmingham Promise benefits from Stallions’ ‘205 Day’ celebration

Posted on May 18, 2023

As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to root for the Birmingham Stallions, Birmingham Promise was thrilled to receive a portion of ticket sales for the team’s recent game against the Houston Gamblers.

That $1,300 will help Birmingham Promise continue to provide college and career opportunities for students in Birmingham City Schools, and the Stallions were gracious to highlight Birmingham Promise in its pregame and gameday festivities.

Among other things, Birmingham Promise Executive Director Samantha Williams was interviewed by Russell Jones at WBRC Fox 6 as part of the coverage of the Stallions’ “205 Day” celebration.

While the game’s final score was a disappointment for Stallions’ fans, Birmingham Promise walked away feeling like a winner.

“We are so grateful to the Stallions and the USFL for supporting Birmingham Promise in this way,” said Williams, who attended the game with her sister Marilyn. “We welcome community partnerships of all shapes and sizes, and they all make a difference for the students we serve. The Stallions’ support will help us expand opportunities for Birmingham’s young people and build a skilled workforce that will benefit our city far into the future.”

Birmingham Promise has provided paid internships to more than 200 students in Birmingham City Schools and helped more than 1,000 Birmingham graduates attend college tuition-free. For more information, visit www.birminghampromise.org.

Shipt commits $1 million to Birmingham Promise

Posted on April 26, 2023

Birmingham Promise is proud and beyond grateful to share the news of Shipt’s plans to invest $1 million in Birmingham Promise programs over the next five years. Shipt’s commitment will help provide students in Birmingham City Schools with college tuition, internship opportunities and access to mentors.