This year Aspiring Youth’s annual Pumpkin Carving Contest was held on October 18th at Marshall, Kirby and B.C. Elmore Middle Schools. This fun and symbolic activity celebrates National Lights On! Afterschool, a day set aside to draw community attention to the importance of Afterschool programming.

Community leader Amy Corron, Senior Director of Community Investment at United Way of Greater Houston, came out to give a pep talk to our students; and John Meredith, Chairperson of Aspiring Youth, inspired students to stick to their goals. All the Aspiring Youth students were challenged to carve their own pumpkins, create their own scary pumpkin faces and display their unique creativity. At the end of the day the kids not only took home their pumpkins, but also a note explaining the celebration and asking that all the pumpkins be lit that evening, creating a true Lights On!

Over 200 students participated in this year’s TASTE or “Take A Student to Your Employment” day. This event, in which area corporations, businesses and law firms host Aspiring Youth students for a “business lunch”, is meant to help the students envision a future of meaningful employment. However, feedback indicated that the students were actually an inspiration to many of the employees!

The students were exposed to many different businesses; from Aviation Engineers to Car Dealerships to Accounting firms to a Television Studio, and, of course Law Firms! They really had fun, and came away with a lot of new things to think about. We could not have done this event without the most important element, our gracious hosts, to whom we offer our sincerest thanks.

Participants included: Abrams, Scott & Brickley LLP, DMJM Aviation, Baker & Hostetler LLP, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Hughes, Watter, Askanase LLP, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, Powers & Frost LLP, Gulf States Toyota, Yetter & Warden LLP, Williams & Kherkher LLP, Channel 13 KTRK-TV News, McConnell, Jones, Lanier & Murphy CPA, LLP, and Weycer, Kapan, Pulaski, & Zuber Law Firm.

November 28th and 29th marked the beginning of the Holiday Season as Second Baptist Church hosted 300 Aspiring Youth students and staff during their annual “Angels of Light” Celebration. The students delighted in a circus lit atmosphere with puppets, gingerbread houses and a scene set with Christmas magic; and the night was full of fun entertainment by the Second Baptist’s Youth group.

A special comedian filled everyone with laughter, and then dinner, dessert and gifts completed the night. Aspiring Youth students and staff were elated to have the opportunity to attend this beautiful event and would like to thank Second Baptist for sponsoring a wonderful start to the Holiday Season.

Aspiring Youth students are encouraged to join our Book Club to develop their comprehension skills, and instill a joy for reading that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. This year the Aspiring Youth National Junior Honor Society and Marshall’s 8th grade Gifted and Talented students have decided to give back to their community by reading to the Ketelsen Elementary Pre-K classes.

The book club meets every Wednesday to practice reading the book chosen for the next week. They assemble before they read to the class to make sure that every student has practiced and is prepared to read in front of an audience.

Our Aspiring Youth students love giving the readings; and when possible, at the end of the reading our Aspiring Youth students give the little children a small gift such as stickers, candy, or even the book that was read. Reading is very important in our society and important for our Aspiring Youth students. If you know of any place that gives away class sets of books on the Pre-K or even Kindergarten level please let us know.

On March 29th Aspiring Youth of Houston and The Links, Incorporated hosted "College for a Day" at Texas Southern University (TSU). Over 300 Aspiring Youth students from five middle schools participated in this opportunity to learn about college. To bridge the gap in age between middle school students and adults, Aspiring Youth of Houston invited a group of student ambassadors from TSU to lead campus tours.

In addition a group of professional volunteers conducted highly interactive mock classes that gave the students a chance to know what it is like to follow a schedule and to learn about a variety of subjects. They welcomed each child with inspiring words from successful local leaders of the Houston community, who understood that the most important asset that they can donate is their time.

The focus of the event was on science and engineering, and minority at-risk students received the opportunity to interact with professionals who are minorities in these fields. The 8th grade students had a special session with a college recruiter. This session was to specifically inform them about the preparation required in high school to get to college; and it also gave them the opportunity to learn about funding their education through scholarships, financial aid and more.

The day’s events ended with a “Commencement” where each student received a mock diploma. Our Aspiring Youth students were able to discover just how easily attainable attending college could be. We would like to thank everyone for all of your generous donations that made this event possible.

With the help of our awesome partners HYLA (Houston Young Lawyers Association), our students were given a first hand look at state government. We are so sincerely grateful to HYLA, and in particular our co-chairs, Lisa Massey and Donna Tomlinson. Lisa and Donna conceived, sought sponsors and executed the event.

The event was called Aspiring to Austin, because the students first had to complete several units on different aspects of state government in order to be eligible to go. Judging from their presentations and the insightful questions they asked it was definitely an academic success. .

The fun began on March 14th when they rode in style in a coach bus while watching the film “The Great Debaters”. Once there, they had the privilege to meet with Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, the first African American Chief Justice. He shared his story starting with the fact that his great great great grandfather was a slave without any rights, and ending with his honor at being chosen by the governor to be Chief Justice. The students asked Justice Wallace many perceptive questions, and then toured the Supreme Court. This was followed by an in-depth tour of the Capitol building and visitors center. They were awed to be in the house and senate chambers, and amazed to learn that lawmakers actually do make laws!

On Thursday, May 8th, Aspiring Youth students from B.C. Elmore Middle School attended “Kids’ Day” at Hewlett Packard. HP is known for its philanthropic efforts across the country, and on this day, students from all qualifying schools participated in the marketing and robotics competitions. Participating students arrived at the HP Headquarters Visitors Center where they received instructions for the day and were treated to breakfast and lunch along with prizes from ticket drawings where everyone was a winner including the teachers and chaperones.

Our Aspiring Youth students named their company “Macro-Diversity: Robot Enterprise” and put their robot named “Bird Vumanoid” (a combination of boy, girl, vehicle, human and android) through a series of contests against the other schools. It was a lot of fun for the students, and speakers from HP and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) came to discuss career opportunities in robotics. They revealed new and innovative equipment and software; and afterwards, awards were presented to the winners of the marketing and robotics competitions.

Each year Aspiring Youth students at Marshall Middle School learn financial competency by using food drives, car wash ventures, and other community projects to be worthy of their own "End of the Year Reward". This year the money they earned paid for a spectacular, week long trip to Orlando, Florida, to visit Disney World at the end of May. The students help with the planning of the trip and are taught about spending limits and time limits.

From their 18 hour bus ride filled with movies and excitement to the “world’s biggest McDonalds” they had fun. And from a day at each of the main events – the Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot Theme Park, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure – the kids made their "End of the Year Reward" a trip to remember for a lifetime . . . and they earned it!

Aspiring Youth of Houston would like to give a heartfelt thank you to our many volunteers during the school year of 2007-2008. We recognize that our volunteers allow more and more children to benefit from the Aspiring Youth After-School Program, and we believe that knowing that you are helping others brings joy into everyone’s life. This corner celebrates the contributions and dedications of many of you. Please visit the link at left and give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back.

Aspiring Youth of Houston would like to thank our many donors in 2007 for giving to our organization for the present so that we may prepare our youth for the future. We believe that a helping hand at the right time can make a lifetime of difference, and it is our many donors that make the Aspiring Youth After-School Program possible.