My mentee Blessing needs to raise funds to pay down tuition debt so he can sign up for summer classes. If he misses this, then he most likely will miss out on other educational opportunities, and this chain reaction may become a barrier that will keep him from completing college.    Time is of the essence. 

Blessing's family emigrated from Nigeria to DC a little over two years ago and I have been mentoring him since he was a high school senior through the non-profit Capital Partners for Education (www.cpfe.org).  CPFE pairs mentors (people like me) with mentees (kids in DC who come from families who don't have prior generations as college graduates) and provides a structure and framework of support.  The goal is to increase the odds of first-generation college students getting into and completing a four-year bachelors degree.  These are smart and ambitious kids who most likely don't have other means, which also limits opportunities in other social areas.  This enriching experience of mentoring Blessing has shown me first-hand how, in spite of economic limitations and a lack of resources, some families are extremely ambitious and sincere in improving their lives and helping their kids start on the path of professional and economic fulfillment.  It is inspiring to see first-generation families work so hard and hold multiple jobs in the hopes that their children can achieve something better. 

This is my story, and your story, but for most of us it happened in an earlier century.  This is the same story that binds us and brings us together as Americans. It is exactly what this nation is all about: giving people who don't have opportunities in their former country the chance to create anything they want to in this melting pot of cultures.

Blessing's current resources are tapped out. He is a special kid with a high desire to achieve. When he came from Nigeria to DC, he arrived testing in as a high school senior at the age of 16. So now he is a college freshman at 17. What you might think is an impressive feat to graduate a year earlier in a foreign land is instead a limiting handicap as employment opportunities, even pre-COVID, are limited for kids below the age of 18.    

So I am asking for your help to close this small gap so my mentee doesn't miss the deadline of enrollment for summer classes. Without paying down the cost of the previous tuition and fees, he will not be able to enroll for summer or even fall classes.

Any amount will be appreciated.  A few bucks here and there adds up, as you know.

In exchange for any donation of at least $100, I will send you one of my bird art watercolor paintings. (let me know what kind of bird you'd like, and I'll send it to you unframed.   I paint birds mostly, and you can see my art on my instagram page at www.instagram.com/watercoloraddict.  Send me a message letting me know what kind of bird you'd like and I'll send it to you in a few days and won't charge you any postage.  The paintings are all about 7" x 11" on high quality 300 lb cold-pressed Arches paper, suitable for framing.     All the funds raised here, less the cost given to gofundme directly in what they charge, are going to Blessing exclusively for his educational costs.  

If you send at least $200, I'll do a custom painting for you as best I can, maybe something larger.  (Fellow Annapolis grads, how about a painting of crabtown?)  This can be a pet portrait, a painting of a landmark of your alma mater, etc.

Thank you in advance for helping me with this.  I would hate for Blessing to miss out on this opportunity, as it is an important link in a chain that I fear may never connect should we not reach this goal this week.

Scott Love