North Star’s mission is to make school optional for any interested teen in the Pioneer Valley. Now, just for a tough minute, imagine if the mission were “to make school optional for any interested teen in the Pioneer Valley whose family can pay $10,000 per year.” It stings just to see that in writing! Such a policy would have excluded at least two-thirds of the teens who have come through our program.
You know how we maintain our commitment to support every local teen: with fundraisers, individual donations, and wide community support. Giving Tuesday is our primary Annual Fund Drive of the year. It is the moment to invite alumni, alumni parents, former staff and volunteers, and friends to make a gift to keep North Star so inclusive. Now is the time!
North Star has come a long way towards financial stability. We have annual fundraisers such as Get Down With Your Hometown, Circus Smirkus, and other special events. We also have a loyal group of Board members and annual donors who make significant gifts. In that context, Giving Tuesday is the time for our wider community to participate in our vision of empowering any interested teen to improve their lives in a fundamental way.
We believe no teen should feel trapped in school, and our community dedicates itself to making school optional for everyone. In addition to welcoming low-income families, North Star does not have admissions tests that select for short-term maturity or long-term likelihood of conventional success. We simply and directly support teens to change their lives, NOW! This is work worth doing, and we could not sustain our model without your support.
Please go to www.northstarteens.org/donate to make your gift. Thank you.