Kids’ Club Scholarship for College Bound Seniors – To further fulfill our mission of “improving the lives of underserved kids,” in 2014 Kids’ Club set up an annual scholarship for college-bound seniors from Sleepy Hollow High School (“SHHS”) based on merit, financial need and character. Each year students apply by submitting to SHHS letters of recommendation and writing a personal essay. The final recipients are chosen by a committee of SHHS faculty members and announced in June at Academic Awards Night.
Latino U College Access’s FAFSA Program — Latino U College Access’s FAFSA program is designed to help first-generation Hispanic students navigate the complex process of applying for state and federal financial aid for college. Through FAFSA Boot Camps and Financial Aid Community Information Sessions, Hispanic students and their families can overcome language and financial barriers to attending college. The programs help Hispanic students and their families by pairing them with bilingual volunteers to help them complete financial aid applications, such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program (FAFSA), as well as the New York Tuition Assistance Program (NY TAP). Kids’ Club is proud to have provided support for this program through funding for information sessions about financial aid at Sleepy Hollow High School, as well as “Boot Camps” where volunteers help students fill out their financial aid application forms.
“Power Lunch” Series/Career Fair – Kids’ Club and Sleepy Hollow High School (“SHHS”) thought it would be helpful to our teens to hear about a variety of career paths available to them as they move out of high school and into the college or the working world.
From 2014 – 2018, in conjunction with the SHHS Guidance Department, we co-sponsored a “Power Lunch” at the SHHS library, where students were exposed to some new ideas on interesting and fulfilling career choices such as health care, writing, publishing, the culinary arts, farming, horticulture, architecture, real estate, wood-working and museum curating.
In 2019, Kids’ Club again worked with the SHHS Guidance Department to expand its annual College Fair to include a Career Fair, too. The goal was to showcase various professions that do not necessarily require four year college degrees. Thirteen companies representing over 20 professions (such as plumbers, electricians, veterinary technicians and beauticians, etc), joined dozens of college and university representatives in the gym to speak with sophomores and juniors about post-high school options. Feedback from the guidance staff, faculty and students was very enthusiastic, and the expectation is that this will become an annual event.
SHADE’s Friday Night Social – Special needs students in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow have an innovative, after school alternative: Friday Night Social. This drop-in gathering run by the Tarrytown School District’s SHADE (Sleepy Hollow Academy for Disability Education) program takes place at Neighborhood House in Sleepy Hollow. In addition to the professional staff, students from Sleepy Hollow High School serve as mentors/interns. Kids’ Club is proud to have provided financial support to this unique program, which provides positive social interaction and life skills development for special needs students ages 13-21, as well as an enriching experience for the teen interns.
TUFSD Application Ready! College Prep Program – In 2020, Kids’ Club helped pilot a new college preparation program at Sleepy Hollow High School geared towards first generation college-bound seniors. Run by TUFSD Guidance Counselors, this program offers instruction on essay writing, résumé building, financial aid opportunities, mock interviews, touring and more.
Westchester Children’s Association’s Project 2020: Youth Electoral Training – Designed to inspire and engage high school students in community decision making, Project 2020 has been implemented in several communities across Westchester with great success. In 2020, Kids’ Club helped launch this pilot program in SHHS. The workshops, which were targeted towards students in two Government and Contemporary Issues classes, were interactive and discussion-based. Topics included how people are active in the community, community issues that are important to the students, and an overview of voting and local leaders.