Success Stories

Say Yes not only partners with organizations and individuals in the community, but also
with families of Say Yes children such as Anthony Alleyne, one of the original Bryant
Chapter scholarship recipients. From the beginning, Anthony and his family were very engaged by all aspects of the Say Yes program. His mother, Sadequa Augustine, is very active in the parent association for the Bryant Chapter and also volunteers extensively.

Anthony began school as an eager student with a great sense of humor. Unfortunately,
Anthony was hit by a car when he was in 2nd grade. It was a major accident with broken bones, as well as brain and organ trauma. Multiple surgeries, extensive rehabilitation,
and physical therapy compelled him to undergo an extensive hospital stay. The prognosis regarding his cognitive and physical functioning was not positive. Upon release from the hospital, he was home-schooled for a period. Anthony returned to school midway through 3rd grade. In a classroom setting, the challenges he faced in making a full recovery became more obvious. Due to the accident, Anthony demonstrated problems with impulse control, and he could not gain weight. After being diagnosed with failure to thrive, he had a feeding tube inserted. Anthony continued to perform below the normative levels for his age group. His teachers expressed mounting frustration at their failure to increase his capacity to focus. Remarkably, however, during this same period Anthony performed at an acceptable level for Say Yes reading specialists, as well as in the Say Yes after-school program. This promising trend continued during his participation in the full-time summer program.

With the assistance of Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza of Say Yes, Anthony’s mother eventually requested an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for her son. The Say Yes IEP is specifically designed to nurture children experiencing academic challenges, and Anthony was deemed a good candidate for the program. Say Yes decided that Anthony would be most likely to flourish if he remained in a regular classroom while also receiving the additional supplemental services offered under an IEP. Unfortunately, school district compliance to the strictures of the IEP became a major issue over time. Promises made by the school were not fulfilled. Mrs. Augustine eventually went to an external advocacy agency that provides legal representation for children with special needs. Ms. Sullivan-Ongoza, Anthony’s mother, and the agency formed a powerful advocacy team for Anthony.

Anthony continued to undergo frequent brief hospitalizations for surgeries connected with his accident. Say Yes staff visited Anthony on a regular basis during these hospital stays. Their engagement was crucial since Anthony’s mother was overwhelmed by the combination of Anthony’s recurring medical needs and the challenges posed by an unresponsive school district. At one point she considered alternatives, such as placing Anthony in medical foster care or sending him out of the country to stay with relatives in the Caribbean.

Say Yes staff made a substantial investment of time in talking with Mrs. Augustine and making available the kinds of support that would obviate the need to pursue such alternatives. Recognizing the role played by Mrs. Augustine’s unemployment in her anxieties about being able to effectively care for Anthony, Say Yes opted to hire her as an after-school assistant and cafeteria coordinator for the summer program. She excelled in both positions. Say Yes also provided tuition for Anthony’s older sibling to enroll in a vocational education program and found summer employment for Anthony’s high school-aged siblings. Anthony’s younger siblings participated in the Say Yes after-school
and summer programs. After concluding that the school was unwilling or unable to meet Anthony’s needs, Say Yes successfully advocated for Anthony to attend the kipp Philadelphia Charter School, a high-performing school in the area.

Anthony is currently an honor roll student at kipp Philadelphia Charter School. He has won many certificates and awards for his academic progress. Mrs. Augustine remains one of Say Yes’ best employees and parent association members. She is an excellent advocate not only for her children, but also for other Say Yes children in the school. For example, she provides childcare for Say Yes parents who work night shifts or are enrolled in school. The Augustine family is an inspiring example of the power of Say Yes’ family-centered approach to educational development and excellence.

Another successful partnership was formed with the family of Itzora Moscoso. Ms. Moscoso is the mother of four daughters, two of whom are students at P.S. 57. In September 2004, she received a letter inviting her to a school event where a “special announcement” was to be made. Unable to attend the event because she was in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy, she did not visit the school or the new Say Yes office housed at P.S. 57 until May 2005. At that time, she learned more about the new program in which her daughter, Amber, then a kindergartner, would participate.

The Say Yes Program Manager was responsible for introducing Ms. Moscoso to the many opportunities offered by the Say Yes program. “The Program Manager was wonderful,” commented Ms. Moscoso in the wake of her May visit. “She made me feel very at ease and very welcome.”

Although Ms. Moscoso wanted to give her daughters “the best,” as she put it, she was
overwhelmed at the time by the many challenges she faced, including caring for her sickly older child, Amanda. Amanda missed school frequently as a result of her illnesses, and Ms. Moscoso had a health battle of her own to contend with.

When Say Yes staff intervened successfully on Amanda’s behalf after she was dismissed from an after-school program, Ms. Moscoso saw first-hand the kind of vital support that Say Yes regularly provides students. At the same time that the Program Manager was negotiating Amanda’s return with the after-school coordinator, Amanda’s sister, Amber, a Say Yes scholarship student, was attending the Say Yes after-school club, where she received one-on-one homework help, studied dance and music, and was given extra attention in her favorite subject: art. Both group leaders and Ms. Moscoso were astonished by Amber’s transformation in the course of her second year in the after-school program. She changed from being a child who cried often, had difficulty completing
homework, and tended to isolate herself from the larger class into a cooperative student who completed her homework with enthusiasm, excelled at music as well as art, and loved to participate with other students in group activities.

Say Yes demonstrated its value to Ms. Moscoso and her family yet again during a crisis in which, as a result of school absences due to illness on both Amanda and Amber’s part, Ms. Moscoso was reported to the Agency for Children’s Services (ACS). The assigned ACS worker threatened to remove the children from their home. Distraught and scared, Ms. Moscoso turned to Say Yes, which referred her to Bingham McCutchen, the pro bono law firm for NYC chapter scholarship families. When the charges made by the ACS caseworker led to a court summons, Bingham McCutchen gave Ms.Moscoso free legal counseling. During the court ordeal, Say Yes gave the family referrals to various community family service programs that could address their additional needs.

With help from the Say Yes attorney, Ms. Moscoso ultimately won the family court case. Moreover, at the case’s conclusion the judge expressed her thanks to the Say Yes Program Manager (who was present at the proceedings), wished the family well in their future educational endeavors, and dismissed the charges with minimal stipulations.

“If it weren’t for this program, I don’t know what would have happened to us,” said Ms. Moscoso. “Say Yes was with me every step of the way through the crisis. They never let go, and they never gave up.”

In 2006, Amanda was able to join Amber in attending the Say Yes Summer Program. In the 2006/2007 school year, after Say Yes began accepting siblings into its out-of-school projects, Amanda went on to participate in the Say Yes after-school program. Together, the summer and after-school programs have made a tremendous difference in the academic performance of the girls. “My daughters have gained enormously in terms of self-confidence and discipline thanks to the Say Yes initiatives,” said Ms. Moscoso. “They are both much more motivated to complete their homework.” In fact, in December 2006 each of the girls won special prizes for stellar school attendance.

Ms. Moscoso is very proud of them. She is also very happy with the Say Yes services, and the excellent education her children have received at P.S. 57. She is currently able to attend all Say Yes meetings and remains actively involved in her daughters’ school activities.

Indeed, Ms. Moscoso is so pleased with the results of her involvement with Say Yes that she plans to take advantage of other Say Yes benefits as well, including the promise of scholarships for family members. Her dream is to go back to school herself to pursue a degree in social work so that she can work with autistic children, as she did earlier in her career. “What I like best about Say Yes is the education they offer,” said Ms. Moscoso. “It gives me confidence and hope that in the future I will be able to provide for my family. Just the experience of discovering how much better I can do with their help has been amazing. There’s no other way to describe it – Say Yes has been a huge blessing in my life.”

The success of Say Yes would not be possible without the generous support of individuals in the community, people such as Robert I. Toll and his wife, Jane, who approached Mr. Weiss about becoming sponsors in the Say Yes program in 1990 (Robert Toll is chairman and chief executive officer of Toll Bros. Inc., America’s leading builder of luxury homes).

The Tolls had long been interested in supporting programs that helped under-
privileged kids but they were put off by the fact that most such programs offered no support network for the donors. “It was just you and the kids – there was no other back up,” recalls Mrs. Toll, a former teacher who had worked for many years in public and private schools for emotionally disturbed adolescents. When a friend told the Tolls about a new program started by George Weiss called “Say Yes to Education,” they
were immediately interested. The Tolls liked the fact that with Say Yes, they could remain anonymous if they so chose. They also liked the fact that the university partnerships that Say Yes created provided both institutional support and staff with a demonstrable investment in students’ success. Finally, they were attracted by the Say Yes policy that allowed them to devote as much  –  or as little   –   time as they wanted to the organization. The freedom to choose their level of involvement was, in fact, one of the deciding factors in the Tolls’ decision to become involved with Say Yes.

The Tolls ended up sponsoring two classes of third graders (totaling 57 students) at Harrity Elementary School in West Philadelphia. They were impressed both with the school itself, and with the fact that the Harrity principal had good ideas about how to best integrate the Say Yes students and the Say Yes curriculum into the school. The Tolls were also partial to choosing a school in Philadelphia because Mr. Toll was born in the area and both the Tolls attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania
(which eventually provided key leadership to the Toll Say Yes program).

Today, 17 years after the Tolls first promised to “Say Yes” to the education of the third graders, it is clear that they have opted for a sustained, hands-on involvement with the group of children that Jane Toll now calls “our kids.”

“When we first started, I promised to devote one day a week to the third graders,” recalls Mrs. Toll, who has five children of her own. “But before you knew it, we got sucked in. Maybe it was our personalities, but as we got to know these children, we got more involved. That said, it’s important for people to realize that with Say Yes you can do as much or as little as you want. You can meet with the coordinators, or you can just foot the bills. It’s entirely up to you.”

For the Tolls, growing close to their Say Yes students has been as enriching for their family as it has been for the kids they’ve sponsored. Once, they took many of their Say Yes kids on a three-week trip through the American West. “We went to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah,” recounts Mrs. Toll. “We wanted them to see that there was a world outside of Philadelphia. Many of these kids had never been on a plane. We stayed in a Boy Scout camp and I remember that the only place to sit was outside on the grass. The kids – city kids – wouldn’t sit on the grass. They thought it was disgusting! We took our youngest child, a ninth-grader at the time, and two of his friends on the trip as well. It was an eye-opening experience for all of us.”

The Tolls’ contact with the students did not end with graduation. Two of the Say Yes students now work in Mr. Toll’s company. The Tolls are still in touch with many of the former Say Yes students. Some of these young people call regularly for guidance and advice. Equally important, in the Say Yes Toll group, 86 percent ended up graduating from high school or earning their GED, and 55 percent of those who graduated from high school have gone on to pursue higher education. Many have attended universities
and colleges throughout the country, including Drexel University, Northeastern University, George Washington University, Hampton University, Seton Hall University, Temple University, Delaware State University, Bethune-Cookman College, Eastern College, and Community College of Philadelphia.

“This is a feel-good investment,” says Mrs. Toll. “What’s so rewarding is you can see that you really can make a difference.”