Beyond Basics started in the spring of 1999 as a coat donation project in one inner-city elementary school. “My eyes were opened to the vast differences in public education,” said Pamela Good, executive director and founder of Beyond Basics. Soon, she and cofounder Joanne Wagerson along with other volunteers began putting together enrichment activities that have led to the programs they run today. Inspired by the enthusiasm of the children, Beyond Basics was incorporated as a non-profit in 2002.
“Our focus has never been to change the system. We just help children. When you get kids reading you save lives,” said Good.
Currently Beyond Basics is running all of their programs in three Detroit public schools with the hopes of expanding into two additional schools this year. Their program offerings are Read to Rise tutoring, Publishing Center, Art with the Masters, and Expanding Horizons. Expanding Horizons is a partnership program that allows students to participate in a variety of cultural and professional activities designed to promote literacy while encouraging them to broaden their perspectives and become lifelong learners.
Beyond Basics runs their programs during the regular school day by partnering with principals enabling them to reach all the children that attend. “The principals are key. It is through their dedication to the children and their desire to meet the needs of the students that makes this a success,” Good said.
Beyond Basics worked with David Harris, principal at Jamison Elementary School, for six years and followed him last year to Mae C. Jemison Elementary-Middle School. “We, as a community, truly need partnerships such as Beyond Basics to help us,” said Harris, “The bottom line is, our children have a lack of prior knowledge. These activities give our children a jump on that.”
It is the dedication of people that make this work. Chairman of the Board Ira Jaffe and their Board of Directors, a vibrant staff, 2500-plus volunteers, hundreds of partners, principals and the school community all come together to fuel this organization.
Beyond Basics enlists volunteers who help students improve their writing skills. Students work one-on-one with an adult or teen mentor. They write, edit and revise stories, which are then typed and published with hardbound covers. The books are theirs to keep, which fosters pride and adds to the children’s sense of accomplishment. Some of their students have written and published as many as three dozen stories in one year. The Publishing Centers are open to all students in the schools where Beyond Basics is active. They have published over 50,000 student books.
“Partnerships like we have with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services establish relationships with students and bring experiences to children that they never dreamed possible,” said Good. “As many know, children enrolled in inner city schools rarely venture outside their own neighborhoods, and don’t have the chance to experience other places or possibilities for their futures.”
This program is a solution that establishes partnerships with companies, individuals and cultural organizations such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Motor City Lyric Opera, Park West Galleries, and Carnegie Foundation. Some of their sponsors include Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation, Big Boy, eTitle, PNC Bank, and Proctor Financial. Many corporations also get involved through donation drives, employees volunteering time working with children and providing other enriching opportunities to the students.
Beyond Basics has found a way to break the cycle of illiteracy and give disadvantaged children opportunities to change the destinies that have been mapped out for them by poverty, violence and other factors. Their programs provide a comprehensive approach to solving illiteracy, while their mentoring programs in turn fuel the learning process. This approach decreases the probability that the children will become victims of those social conditions.
“Eleven years ago as I read with Destiny and Aubry my recurring thought was ‘Where will these children be in 5-10 years if someone doesn’t do something now?’ Reading is that now. It changes everything,” said Good
If you’d like to learn more or get involved, please visit the Beyond Basics website at www.beyondbasics.org. You can make a difference.
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