$160,309 of $200,000 raised.
Brianna, a 10th grader at Ballou High School, wanted to find a fun and meaningful activity to do after school. Helping kids with their reading sounded like the perfect opportunity. So, she signed up to become a Reach tutor…and convinced her younger brother Brandon – a 9th grader, also at Ballou – to do the same.
Brianna is friendly and outgoing. Brandon is quieter, with a deadpan sense of humor. They don’t sit together at session - they prefer to be around their friends, as high schoolers usually do. But, it’s been inspiring to see how they support each other as they navigate their first months as Reach tutors. Brianna will sometimes offer tips to help Brandon better relate to his students. And, Brandon’s calming presence encourages his sister to try new activities.
This year, Brianna and Brandon are just two of the Reach tutors at Ballou with sibling connections: - Riley (11th grade, Ballou) persuaded her younger brother Jerry (9th grade, Eastern High School) to sign up for Reach, even though they go to different schools.
- With encouragement from older brother Eugene (Eastern, class of 2018), Toshiro started in our Ballou/Simon cohort in September.
- And, not only did Herbert (Ballou, class of 2017) convince his younger brother to join
Reach, but he texted with us during the first few weeks to make sure Jeremiah (9th
grade, Ballou) was showing up at sessions as part of the Ballou/King cohort.
We’re always thrilled when our teens and alumni encourage their younger siblings to join Reach. It’s a sign to us that we’re doing something right. So, thank you to all our Reach siblings for being #AlwaysThere for us – and for each other.
By the way, Brianna and Brandon have a younger brother who is still in elementary school. We hope that in a few years, they’ll convince him to join Reach, too.
All this month, we will be sharing stories about members of the Reach community that are #AlwaysThere for the organization and our participants. Brianna Davis is a 10th grade student at Ballou. Her brother, Brandon, is a 9th grader, also at Ballou. Both are eligible for promotions next month.
Make a gift here to support our 2020 #AlwaysThere campaign.
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