WAMU Features Two AoH Learners

Academy of Hope is pleased to share WAMU's “American Graduate” series, which kicks off its first article featuring two Academy of Hope learners, Saundra Walker and Grace McMillan, mother and daughter respectively. In this article entitled “Breaking the Cycle when Dropping Out Runs in the Family”, Saundra and Grace discuss the struggles they faced in high school, why they dropped out and how different it could have been had they and their children finished high school. Today this mother and daughter duo are attending classes together at Academy of Hope, picking up where they had left off in high school and working towards their GED certificates.  Hear their stories here and learn the top five reasons dropouts identify for leaving school. This article aired on Jan. 24^th, 2012 on WAMU 88.5, a local affiliate of NPR.  "American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen" is a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

NACo employees raise over $11K in support of Academy of Hope

NACo staff enjoying the 2011 Holiday Auction.

Corporate giving isn't just about writing checks; it can also be about having fun!  Each December since the early 1990s, the staff of the National Association of Counties (NACo) has held a Holiday Auction to raise money for a D.C.-area charity. Employees nominate various charities, and staff votes to choose one. This year, they selected Academy of Hope as their beneficiary and raised $11,300!

“NACo employees show their generosity year after year at our Holiday Auction,” NACo Executive Director  Larry E. Naake said. “This year’s total was among the highest we’ve ever raised, and we’re proud to be able to help an organization like the Academy of Hope, which is doing such important work in Washington, D.C.”

At the auction, employees bid on staff-donated items ranging from colleagues’ signature baked goods and libations to an autographed Jerry Rice football, homemade pierogies or a grab bag of memorabilia collected by employees during their business travel to the nation’s counties.  A “live” auction on a Friday is preceded by a silent auction the previous day. The association also kicks in money raised yearlong on its Friday “Jeans Days,” when employees can pay one dollar for the privilege of wearing denim. Watch a video clip from the 2011 auction at http://youtu.be/GinH7oddsO4.

NACo is the only national organization representing county government. Driven by a strong membership, it represents 3,068 counties across America. To learn more about NACo, visit www.naco.org. 

Academy of Hope is grateful for NACo and its staff for their generosity and incredible support!!

Meet Lecester Johnson, 2011 Exponent Award Recipient

“I am humbled and grateful," says Lecester Johnson, Academy of Hope's Executive Director. "This award is not for me but for our students, staff and community...and I thank each and every person who has contributed to our AoH family throughout 27 years.”

Academy of Hope's Executive Director, Ms. Lecester Johnson, has been selected by The Meyer Foundation to receive one of three of this year’s prestigious Exponent Award.  The award recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of DC’s most talented, visionary, and effective nonprofit executives and comes with a two-year grant of $100,000.  Since joining Academy of Hope in 2006, Lecester not only guided the organization through a very tough economic climate but also managed a sustained growth, expanding the budget as well as programs and services for adult learners.  Lecester brings strategic vision and a deep understanding of education as well as compassion to the plight of individuals living in the District of Columbia who experience low-literacy or who are under-educated.  “She is truly an inspired, dedicated and hard-working leader,” says Mr. Ryan Young, AoH Board Chair. “This is a testament to the impact of an exceptional leader and her dedication to the community.” We thank the entire AoH community and dedicate this award to all of you!

View the press release here.

The Exponent Award, established in 2006, celebrates awardees' success at increasing the impact of their organization's work, instituting sound management, and serving as collaborative community leaders.  This year, only three nonprofit leaders are honored with the 2011 Exponent Award.

The Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation identifies and invests in visionary leaders and effective community-based nonprofit organizations that are working to create lasting improvements in the lives of low-income people in the Washington, DC metropolitan region, and works to strengthen the region's nonprofit sector as a vital and respected partner in meeting community needs.

For more information, click here or contact Adriana Kao at adriana@aohdc.org or 202-269-6623

Academy of Hope mentioned in McCartney's Washington Post column

Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney suggests billionaire philanthropist could start with an investment in Academy of Hope to help bring long-term solution to DC poverty.

Robert McCartney, Washington Post columnist and radio/TV commentator, has been investigating and writing about how the billionaire Bill Conway can put $1 billion to help the area's poorest residents.  Bill Conway is a local area businessman who is looking for a way to make a big, long-term impact and has asked the public for ideas on how to help the DC community. 

The Washington Post columnist has been corresponding with Mr. Conway and has done some of his own research.  Mr. McCartney spoke with Academy of Hope's Executive Director, Ms. Lecester Johnson, just recently after he received various positive comments about Academy of Hope and our work.  Mr. McCartney writes in his Sunday column about his conclusion after weeks of research and interviews on how to start tackling the chronic problem of poverty that too many DC residents face.

He says, "The sorry fact...is that a sizable number of people in our region - at least 50,000 in the District - are so poorly educated that they're effectively unemployable."  Find out what he suggests and how Academy of Hope fits into that long-term solution plan.

"Here's my idea for philanthropist to help poor find jobs"
by Robert McCartney (Published in The Washington Post on October 22, 2011)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/robert-mccartney-heres-my-idea-for-philanthropist-to-help-poor-find-jobs/2011/10/21/gIQAnO886L_story.html


Thank you Mr. McCartney for your thoughtful comments!

Interested in helping?  Volunteer at Academy of Hope as a teacher or tutor, or donate to support our work! 

Volunteer at Academy of Hope



One of our returning volunteers, Max reviews student assignments during his class.



Academy of Hope's mission is to provide high quality adult basic education in a manner that changes lives and improves our community. We cannot accomplish our goals without our dedicated volunteers. Here is how you too can change lives in your community.

 Come and be a volunteer teacher or tutor at the Academy of Hope. Teach adults the skills they need to get their high school credential- either with a small class or one-on-one. To get started, commit to teaching 2 hours a week for a 12 week term. Teachers of basic writing and math are needed. Academy of Hope is holding a training session for new volunteer teachers and tutors on Saturday, August 27, from 9 am to 1 pm.

Please call (202) 269-6623 or e-mail volunteer@aohdc.org for more information. Check the website for more information on The Hope.

Open House at Academy of Hope, Aug. 18th 5:30p

Thursday August 18th 5:30pm, Academy of Hope welcomes you to our Open House. Come speak with students, volunteers and staff and find out how you can be a part of "the Hope". For additional information contact our staff--202.269.6623 or volunteer@aohdc.org 

Meet Charles Mcpherson, AoH Student

Starting a New Chapter

Charles Mcpherson is an affable, soft-spoken, eloquent man who has spent many of his 47 years struggling against violence, abuse, alcohol and cocaine.  Today he is winning his struggle on all fronts, and is working toward a better future.

Charles spent his early years in Northeast DC with his parents and six siblings.  Though his father was in and out of jail, his mother “made sure that we stayed in school and did our homework”.  She provided discipline, volunteered in his classroom, and bought books and an encyclopedia for her children.  In junior high school Charles was a member of the football and swim teams.  He also enjoyed neighborhood recreation center activities and participated in community clean-ups.  But despite his mother’s best efforts, “she couldn’t protect us from everything”.  Threats came from the violence both within his family and from the streets.  In this environment, Charles learned early how to fight in order to survive.

In March 2011, Charles came to AoH for a computer class.  When he realized he could also study for his GED, he said, “Let me sign up right away!”  Since starting at AoH he has learned a lot and has worked especially hard on math.  He says that his teacher “really knows her stuff” and he is committed to doing the work and passing his GED.    His commitment to the program is demonstrated by the fact that he commutes by bus three-and-a half hours a day, and that he won the AoH Perfect Attendance Award earlier this year.

Today Charles is trying to be an example to his son, now a high school student, and trying to “guide him in the right direction”.  He is also the proud grandfather of ten grandchildren.

As he has grown older, Charles now sees that “life has a lot more to offer”.  He does not want to continue to struggle and very much wants to do better.  Professionally, his goal is to become a social worker, supporting people living with HIV and helping others to protect themselves from infection.  “It’s like I’m starting a new chapter.  I see progress in my life, and joy, laughter and trust.  I’ve come a long way, and never thought that I’d be thinking about a future.”  And yet, at age 47, he says, “I have one.”