Most nonprofit staff talk about "upriver," that place where people could be helped BEFORE they go over the falls and arrive downriver as clients--with damages that even a dozen good nonprofits cannot always turn around. Capital IDEA works "upriver." Their work ends poverty in a single generation--lifting individuals into income and stability that changes the lives of clients and their families. Capital IDEA pays the costs (tuition, books, child care, emergency expenses) for nontraditional (including older, first generation to enter college, lower performing in high school, ESL speakers, working-poor parents...) for community college degrees in fields that are hiring and paying well. Capital IDEA turns out a lot of nurses, and those nurses have careers that include great pay, benefits, and potential for growth. Clients served (and their families) don't go over the falls and become part of the chaos downriver. Ending poverty through education takes a few years and costs what a community college degree costs--but what a bargain! Best deal in town, and it proves it can be done!
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With 20 years of nonprofit experience, I can say that this is the first time I'm addressing the root of the problem--poverty. Capital IDEA ends generational poverty. Using EDUCATION as a bridge to EMPLOYMENT, nontraditional students (low income, older, often parents, first-generation-in-college, testing at middle school math and reading levels) earn community college certifications and degrees to secure jobs in health care, technology, and select trades. These jobs offer great salaries, benefits, and chances for professional advancement. This is how you change outcomes in a community, by stabilizing individuals and families with jobs that move them into a position to take care of themselves and their families with their own resources.
Review from Guidestar