My name is Len Bagley. I run Maintenance 215 LLC in the Philadelphia area, and I built The Maintenance Academy, the training arm of the Black Boots Initiative.

The skilled trades pay a living wage, and the work can't be shipped overseas. But the path into them has never been open to everyone. The Black Boots Initiative was built to open the trades, and the businesses behind them, to Black Americans first. We also train other people of color, low-income residents, veterans, people whose skills need updating, and returning citizens through our Second Chance program.

The courses are built. There are 8 of them, with 186 lessons, in construction, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, property maintenance, floor care and green jobs. Every lesson is filmed by working contractors on real job sites, with OSHA safety videos, questions along the way, a test for every section and a certificate employers can verify online.

See for yourself: take the tour and browse every course outline at academy.bagleyenterprises.net/support

What's left is the law. Pennsylvania requires a private school license before we can enroll a single student. The filing fees and costs come to about $12,000, and they're due before the first student pays a dollar. With the license we can enroll students in Pennsylvania, become an approved training provider so public workforce programs can pay tuition for eligible residents, and work toward registered apprenticeships with employers who are hiring.

Where the money goes: School application to the PA Department of Education, including the first program, $7,500. Two more programs ($1,400 each), $2,800. Required new-applicant orientation seminar, $300. State site visit of the training shop, $750. First year of the $10,000 surety bond that protects students, $300. Crowdfunding and card-processing fees, $350. Total: $12,000. Anything over the goal pays for the next program's fee.

Every dollar is accounted for. I'll post an update when each application is filed and when the license is granted. Please give what you can, and share this. The more people who see it, the sooner we open.

Thank you, Len Bagley, Maintenance 215 LLC, The Maintenance Academy. Contributions go to Maintenance 215 LLC, a Pennsylvania company, and are not tax-deductible.