Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona believes that children are the future, and they do what they can to empower children in need. Amy Pfeifer, Executive Director of Boys Hope Girls Hope of AZ, discusses this during her time with the CEA podcast, Creating Future Leaders. She discusses with Nancy Padberg the good that Boys Hope Girls Hope does and how their partnership with CEA has influenced the lives of children and families around Arizona.
How Boys Hope Girls Hope Found Its Footing
The organization got its start in St. Louis in the 1970s. Its founder, a Jesuit named Father Paul Sheridan, realized how many children in his community had the potential to do great things — they simply lacked resources. Pfeifer explained, “His belief is that the most important things that children need are a strong foundation, to be surrounded by positive adult role models, and to have access to a quality education.” He spread this word around the country, finding the required resources to get kids where they needed to be. The word eventually spread to Arizona, and thus began Boys Hope Girls Hope AZ.
The Impact Made by Boys Hope Girls Hope
Pfeifer spends her days, “working with individuals and companies who are able to provide solutions and helping hands to enable people to improve their lives.” Since the organization’s beginning in Arizona in the late 80s, hundreds of children’s lives have been changed for the better. The group serves about 90 youth at a time, with the youngest being in 6th grade.
The organization does what it can to get these children on the road to college. They offer support in the form of physical necessities, such as books and school supplies, but they provide emotional and mental support, as well. The children involved receive encouragement, as well as information about topics such as financial literacy and career exploration.
A Winning Combination
Boys Hope Girls Hope partners with CEA to bring children into private schools and college preparatory schools. Together, the organizations share a vision and a goal — to help youths realize their abilities in a nurturing environment. The organizations also work to get teens Catholic scholarships so that they can further their educations. According to the Center for Education Reform, 99% of students who attend Catholic high school graduate. 86% of those graduating students then attend college.
All of this is made possible by the privately-funded budget that Boys Hope Girls Hope uses in addition to tax credit donations. Pfeifer elaborates, “Individuals and corporations have the opportunity to direct a portion of their Arizona state tax liability to a school tuition organization like Catholic Education Arizona.” Community members who want to know how their tax dollars are being used, and who prioritize education, can discuss this as an option around tax time.
For additional information regarding tax credits and how to use them to benefit the efforts made by both CEA and Boys Hope Girls Hope, reach out to Catholic Education Arizona today.
