Hello friends and family!

I encourage you to support Higher Achievement, the organization I moved to DC to work for in 2006 and which continues to hold such a special place in my heart.

Higher Achievement is turning 50 this year! During my 11 years with the organization, I witnessed countless examples of its impact: students whose mentors were there by their side, over years, helping them through the ups and downs of middle school; kids who overcame a fear of public speaking to present their original poetry on the stage of the Shakespeare Theatre; formative experiences like overnight college visits, or a service trip to post-Katrina New Orleans; young people who went on to some of the city’s best high schools; alumni who returned to DC after college to join the organization as staff or become teachers, social workers, city council members, entrepreneurs, attorneys and artists. I often bump into graduates of the program around the city, and they inevitably talk about Higher Achievement with such warm emotions, as an irreplaceable community, a family.

The pandemic erased two decades of progress in reading and math. DC - like so many communities across the country - is experiencing crises of youth mental health and chronic absenteeism. At a time when we should be doubling down, the federal Administration is dismantling the very supports students need to stay on track and thrive.

I feel strongly that this is the moment for deeper investment in the young people in our communities, which is why I have been getting involved again with Higher Achievement over the last year.

I invite you to join me in supporting the organization’s 50th anniversary campaign — through which Higher Achievement plans to make additional spots available for more middle schoolers in D.C. and nearby Prince George’s County, MD. At a time when so much feels uncertain and unmovable, this is a tangible way to make a difference, almost immediately.

As you probably have experienced, I’m always happy to talk more about the program, its proven outcomes, and most of all, the phenomenal community of people in the HAP family. In fact, many of you have been involved over the years - donating, mentoring, teaching electives, even securing VIP speakers for our gala.

I’m grateful for any and all support!

With love,

Katherine