Proud of Our Past
Over the past four years, we at the Denver Achievement Academy have been engaged in a simple, yet challenging mission: to increase academic and athletic achievement while fostering self-sufficiency and a sense of community among the exceptionally vulnerable population of Denver Public School students we serve. We have attempted to achieve this goal by providing our boys and girls with a curriculum of after-school programs and a variety of opportunities to which they would otherwise not have access. Whether it’s getting extra tutoring and homework help, mastering Tae Kwon Do, or attending community service-oriented field trips, our incredible middle school students have flourished under the guidance and support of our all-volunteer staff and our invaluable partners in the Denver community.
Over the course of these four years, our experiences with the children have led us to an important discovery: these children and their families depend on us, as part of their extended families, to be present in their lives, to know their hopes, and share in their dreams. It has been a genuine honor and privilege to watch as our students grow and mature into driven, responsible young adults, and we hope to continue our efforts well into the future.
Looking to the Future
It is a well-worn, but nevertheless true, aphorism: children are our future. The investments we make in their education and in their growth are guaranteed to be repaid one hundred-fold as one generation gives way to the next. Although our country’s education system is not without its shining stars, the sad fact of the matter is that all too often many students face seemingly insurmountable barriers to getting the education they deserve, and that we all desperately need them to receive.
Denver Achievement Academy is proud to do its part in helping our students overcome those barriers, but we cannot do it alone. Simply put: we need your help. All of our financial support depends on people like you and your generosity.
Specifically, we need your help to raise enough money to replace one of the large vans we use to transport our students to and from their schools and the DAA activities they’ve come to love and upon which they and their families depend. Without a replacement van, the opportunities we can provide our students, and the number of students we serve, will be curtailed sharply, to the detriment of our students’ academic and athletic growth.
But you can help! Your generous donations will allow us to provide the round-trip transportation our students need to participate fully in our after-school activities. Every dollar we raise is a dollar we can spend expanding our students’ chances for personal and academic growth.
We recently launched a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo to help us reach our fundraising goals, and we are depending on generous and steadfast members of the community just like you to bring us across the finish line. You can visit our campaign page and make your donation by clicking here.
Why Should You Help?
We recognize that we are not the only organization asking for your support, and we are certainly not saying that we are more deserving of that support than the organizations to which you may regularly contribute. Instead, we would just like to remind you of that old aphorism, that children are our future.
We are not asking for money to pay our staff. All of the money we raise will go to the kids. Even if we fail to raise the amount we need to replace the van, the money we do collect will be invested in buying more books, more sports equipment, and more resources for our students and their families. No matter what happens, your generous donation is guaranteed to make a world of difference to our students.
Furthermore, as part of Indigogo’s crowdfunding platform, your donation entitles you to one of several one-of-a-kind Perks. For example, for just a $50 donation, one of our students will write and send you an absolutely priceless hand-written thank you card, while $100 entitles you to a limited edition Denver Achievement Academy t-shirt which you can wear with pride wherever you go! Simply click here to visit our page and make your donation.
As the new school year begins and you prepare your own children for the rigors of another academic year, please take a moment to think of those students who could use a helping hand in their education. They may be boys and girls that you never meet, or they could be classmates with your own boys and girls. Your donation will mean the world to them and their families. In fact, don’t think of it as a donation. Think of it as an investment in the future you wish to see for your own children.
Sincerely,
Simon Peter O’Hanlon
Founder of Denver Achievement Academy