Press release from Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Study Connection begins 22nd year
Study Connection kicked off its 22nd year of helping students with its Annual Celebration and Recognition Breakfast last Friday, September 10th.
This year’s keynote speaker was Manuel Scott, one of the original Freedom Writers, a group of students on which the 2007 movie “Freedom Writers” was based. Scott was a high school dropout who had been written off and was considered “unteachable” until an English teacher found a way to reach him and his classmates through books, such as, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” He and his classmates started writing about their struggles, which were eventually compiled into the book, “The Freedom Writers Diary.” Scott now spends much of his time sharing his story and how he turned his life around.
In addition to sharing his story at the Study Connection breakfast last Friday, Scott spoke to students at Ward Education Center and South Side High School.
Study Connection began in 1989, founded by Don Wolf, retired CEO and president emeritus of Do it Best Corp. In the last two decades an estimated 10,000 students have gone through the program. Volunteers are matched one-to-one with FWCS students who need academic assistance. Students and volunteers meet weekly after school for one hour during the school year with 79 percent of the students bused to and from local businesses for their tutoring sessions. This not only gives students a chance to receive some extra homework help, but also meet a mentor in the community and
learn about local career opportunities.Study Connection has been replicated in other cities across the nation, including Clinton, Iowa, where the Governor recognized it as the 2000 Volunteer Program of the Year. In 2007, Study Connection received the Indiana Youth Institute Award for investing in youth.
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