January 2022

Friends,   Welcome 2022, and welcome back to school all Guilford County Schools students and staff! With the new year comes new commitments, promises of change, resolutions. Your list might include some of the most popular: lose weight, eat better, exercise, spend more time with friends and family, save more money and take up a hobby. This year I challenge you to take on two new resolutions: commit a little time to tutor GCS students, and give a little of your treasure to ensuring their future. When you volunteer as a Say Yes Guilford tutor, you will see the impact almost immediately. One hour, once a week is all you need. We will provide you with everything you need to confidently support your students as they learn to read, or solve a math equation, or find context clues in a history text. Your hour will put a child on the path to success. When you donate to Say Yes Guilford, you will ensure those same students have every opportunity to succeed in the classroom and in life. Your gift funds extra support at school and home, career exploration, and college scholarships. You know the challenges the past two years have put on our students. We have a mountain to climb, but we have the tools in our community to get over the top. Volunteers and donors are essential to changing outcomes for our students, and with your help, they will succeed. I ask you to decide to impact GCS students this year. Sign up as a tutor: one hour, once a week. Make a financial contribution: one dollar or one-thousand dollars; they all make difference. Commit to students and see the impact. They will be the best resolutions you keep this year. Gratefully, Wendy Say Yes Guilford CEO

Mark Your Calendar! January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday January 18 - Teacher Workday February 21 and 22 - Teacher Workdays for all schools February 23-25 Teacher Workdays for Restart and Extended Year Schools January 4 - Schools on the traditional Early and Middle College Classes Resume

We Love Our Volunteers! Thank you to all our Alpha Xi Delta friends at Elon University who raised funds for Say Yes Guilford during the fall semester. These kindly hearts are making a big difference in the world, and we are so proud to call them part of our team. Thank you!!

Say Yes to Success!

Zyon Richardson Guilford College Class of 2023 Zyon Richardson remembers her cousins graduating from college when she was just 13. “I said I want to be just like you. I want to go to college; I want to get a degree; I want to make my dreams come true.” Today she’s on her way to doing just that.  Richardson started her journey at Guilford College with help from a Say Yes Guilford Scholarship. “I was truly blessed,” she remembers. But the world changed in 2020, and by spring of 2021 Richardson faced some tough decisions. She transferred to Forsyth Technical Community College. Today she’s on track to graduate with certifications in medical coding and billing. “I love to code, and I like working with my technology,” she says. In 2023, Richardson expects to be the first woman in her family to earn a college degree. “Say Yes Guilford has really opened opportunities to me and helped me become who I really am.” Read more about Richardson and meet other Say Yes Guilford scholars at sayyesguilford.org.

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Say Yes Guilford sayyesguilford.org

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