Metropolitan State University of Denver, TIAA-CREF, Denver Public Schools and the Denver Public Schools Foundation all rallied together August 13, 2013, for one united cause – to transform the lives of DPS students. TIAA-CREF, a national financial services organization launched an adopt-a-school program with MSU Denver to adopt Bruce Randolph School, a Denver Public School for grades 6-12. The collaboration will provide educational support to students along with parents and faculty members.
Programs such as this one are part of the DPS Foundation’s School Partners Program, an initiative which cultivates, nurtures and sustains meaningful relationships between DPS schools and the Denver community. The collaboration will engage TIAA-CREF and MSU Denver volunteers in tutoring programs, a job shadowing event and financial literacy workshops, all while building invaluable mentor relationships for Bruce Randolph students. Principal Cesar Cedillo, former alumnus of West High School and MSU Denver stated, “This is what it’s about; getting students out of their comfort zone and into a new world.” TIAA-CREF also donated an abundance of school supplies for Bruce Randolph students, helping them start the new school year on the right foot.
To culminate this new program, volunteers from TIAA-CREF, MSU Denver, and Bruce Randolph students concluded the afternoon by beautifying the campus – painting, landscaping, laying mulch and stones, weeding school grounds, picking up litter on school grounds and painting metal post. When the students see the changes on the campus they will know that there are people in the community that care about their success, they will know they are valued. This high level of support is part of the reason Bruce Randolph is changing the game for the students in its community. In 2012-13, Bruce Randolph graduated 96 of the 97 eligible seniors. Of the 97 seniors only two had parents who had pursued their undergraduate degree.
It truly takes a village to raise a child. Bruce Randolph is lucky to have the support of TIAA-CREF and MSU Denver to help them ensure every child succeeds!
Check out more photos from the day on the DPS Foundation’s Facebook page.
Learn more about School Partners Program at www.dpsfoundation.org/partner and how you can engage your business or organization in contributing to the success of DPS students here.