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Since 1999, a group of community and civic leaders have worked on a plan to address a series of concerns that have kept the African-American community's children from taking part in the American Dream. The result of the work of this group of dedicated volunteers has been the creation of Partners in Economic Progress (PEP). The basic mission of the program is to enhance existing efforts that support education, mentorship and tutorial assistance for Des Moines area African-American students.
PEP's board of directors and staff unanimously decided that the organization's highest priority was to provide academic and motivational support to 8th – 12th grade students of color in Des Moines and outlying areas. PEP Academy was founded in 1999 as a collaboration between Partners in Economic Progress, secondary schools and Iowa post-secondary institutions to address the education needs of urban communities. PEP's programs are designed to help students earn good grades, graduate from high school and prepare for college.
The Objectives: A five-year campaign to raise $2.5 million to enhance existing efforts and resources that support education, mentorship and tutorial assistance for African-American students in Greater Des Moines.
The Challenges: Developing a prospect list for a campaign of this specific nature turned out to be quite difficult. When dealing with an African-American project such as this, there aren't many minority businesses to draw from. Business leaders with a connection or history related to education funding and public sources (Cities, Counties and foundations) became the prime prospects. Organizations like Rotary, etc. were added to the list. Additionally, the lack of relevant investment history makes the evaluation process a "crossed fingers" effort.
The Campaign: Several factors affected the type and conduct of the campaign. The leadership offered by pledges received from several key investors set the tone for significantly higher pledge amounts than would normally be expected. Also, the desire to "do something" instead if just talking about doing something brought a new level of investor to the table. The community support was very high with 109 companies investing over $2.8 million in commitments for the five-year plan.
The Results: 100% of the PEP seniors graduated with the majority going on to higher education options. The involvement of parents/guardians in the PEP process has helped to reinforce the ability of students to meet their obligations regarding school. Every student is provided a computer and classes on how to use it to make their class assigned writing and research work meet majority standards. The PEP student council, representing all the schools and grades involved in the program, choose extra curricular activities that reinforce the feeling of belonging to a special group. Any PEP student with a failing grade in any required class is required to attend summer school where their grade can be amended. The program has attracted attention of communities as far away as Chicago where a similar program is being launched.
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