Best Worthy Cause - 2007
Urban Future
Since 1998 Urban Future has paired hundreds of middle-school students in St. Louis with volunteer mentors trained to assist them in character growth, academic achievement and career preparation. In one year alone Urban Future mentors helped raise sixth-graders' literacy scores 38 percent, moving from a second-grade reading level to a fifth-grade level. Urban Future is looking to double its impact this year and recruit 200 mentors who'll work alongside teachers and parents in the hopes of achieving the near impossible: creating a nurturing learning environment in the topsy-turvy world of the St. Louis Public Schools.
