Two years ago, in the midst of pandemic shutdowns, we came to you with an urgent need to bridge the technological divide so many of our scholars face while entering postsecondary education in remote and hybrid learning formats.

 

And you answered the call in amazing fashion. Over $200,000 has been raised in 2020 and 2021 to equip hundreds of our scholars with the technology they need to participate in their studies.

 

The lesson for us as an agency with the stated mission to eliminate the barriers to educational and career attainment is that this annual campaign is one of great need: 50% of our Say Yes scholars have a family income below $25,000, and 70% are below $50,000. A postsecondary degree puts our young people on a path to employment and a brighter future. Without the proper technology, our students will face yet another barrier to success.

 

This year’s efforts have been kickstarted by $50,000 from the Buffalo Bills from the team’s Social Justice Fund. Two local scholars were featured in a short video posted above. Please take 50 seconds to listen how this campaign has impacted their education. 

 

We hope you will consider making a gift to the Say Yes Buffalo Technology Campaign. A gift of $260 will cover a laptop for a Say Yes scholar plus a match to our scholarship endowment. Please feel free to contact Tanice Pendergrass at [email protected] or 716-247-5310 ext 208 with any questions.

 

We appreciate your consideration of this special request in support of our scholars.

 

Sincerely,

 

The Say Yes Buffalo Team