Marcy Scholarship & Mentoring Blog
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The Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship Fund (“MHMSF”) provides financial support and mentorship to college or trade school students who reside in Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses AND other NYCHA developments in Bed-Stuy. The Marcy Houses was our sole focus until just a few months ago when our Board voted to expand. This decision was driven in part by the desire to be more aligned with several of our partners – particularly JobsPlus whose catchment area includes several public housing developments.
Following our announcement about expanding to additional NYCHA developments, we were invited to several Family Days and Back-to-School Resource Fairs this Summer. We “tabled” at events sponsored by the Marcy Houses, the SumnerNeighborhoodStat, TompkinsNeighborhoodStat, the Bed-Stuy Community Partnership Program, and NeOnWorks.
The SUMMER BRIDGE event, first introduced in 2021, is part of our mentoring program and has as its goal countering the effects of “Summer Melt” -- an apt descriptor for the fact that many students who are accepted into college or trade school, never actually enroll. Research has shown that nearly 40% of low- income students are impacted by “summer melt”. Our students – both those new to the post-secondary experience as well as those who are transitioning to their 2nd through 4th years -- are included in the Summer Bridge program.
We are solidifying our partnerships with workforce development organizations including JobsPlus, St. Nicks Alliance, and Per Scholas – each of which have certification programs whose participants include Marcy Houses residents who might qualify for a scholarship. These organizations have expressed a need to incentivize participants to complete programs and the Scholarship Fund will be instrumental in this regard.
MARCY STUDENT VOICES (@marcyvoices) is a community service initiative offering participants in the Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship Fund program a platform to share their experiences and perspectives on the challenges they encounter as post-secondary students. The initiative aims to empower individuals to use their voices as a beacon, inspiring the broader Marcy Houses community, local schools, and others to explore the possibilities of post-secondary education."
What a year this has been! The past 12 months have been phenomenal and made possible through your support. Check out what's happening at the Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship Fund!
Students new to the post-secondary experience as well as those who are transitioning to their 2nd through 4th years are included in the Summer Bridge program. Over the course of the Summer, we maintain contact with students through emails, text messages and social media.
Welcome to the 2022-23 school year. We hope the Fall season finds you well!!! Check out what's happening at the Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship Fund ("MHMSF").