Invest in a child. Save Our Schools.

For the first time ever, SOS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is empowering every citizen with the ability to directly influence and invest in educational opportunities for our at-risk students. With a youth driven focus, staff rely on student input for new, innovative programming and resources - you help make it a reality.

Goal:

Raise $25,000 to help us make history!

Last year SOS allocated $30,000 to award-winning programs which served our most vulnerable children and their education. But why should we have all the fun? Help SOS create the first ever crowd-funding platform for Minneapolis and St. Paul students, enabling donors to donate directly to any project they wish in any increment they wish. SOS, which teamed up with Teach For America this year, is also the first ever universal platform to place you and other volunteers directly into classrooms of your choice.

*Please feel free to create your own or team fundraising page by simply clicking on the "create fundraise page" to the right.

Previous success:
In its first year, SOS provided award-winning programming which funded and created programs that take kids off the streets. Knowing, that in certain areas crime rates peak after school, students and chaperones bike across the city to learn about history, art, science and more. SOS provided programming that aims to decrease suspensions and increase cooperative activity in a school where 99.7% of children live below the poverty line. SOS sent students from low SES backgrounds on the trip of a lifetime to Puerto Rico. Refugee students who fled to Minnesota were provided programming to help ease the struggles of learning a new language in a foreign country. Last, SOS knew that 95% of brain development occurs by the end of pre-school, and we rescued Early Childhood Programs from the chopping block to make sure kids are given a fair shot.

SOS is also the sponsor of Minneapolis Math League, providing weekly practices, transportation, food and 5 competitions a
year to all Minneapolis High Schools. Through Math League, SOS is investing in the future workforce of Minnesota and developing each child’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills.
SOS is extremely active in the community! Thanks4Giving Day, a SOS event, hosted on Black Friday – SOS collected donations that have gone directly to 100’s of families in need, and delivered boxes of school supplies to Minneapolis schools serving large portions of at-risk children. Thanks4Giving Day encourages people to think about those less fortunate as they embark on the new “holiday” that is Black Friday.
Mission: SOS – Save Our Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to invest in at-risk students using the most effective and efficient methodology. Working with educators and students, SOS provides the means to impact Minneapolis and St. Paul's most vulnerable children by providing programming, resources and volunteer support where it is needed most.

Vision: Minnesota is home to some of the smartest, most creative and innovative minds. By investing in educational opportunities that are otherwise unattainable, we provide a foundation for long-term academic and life success. Our goal is to create communities of equitable education, economic prosperity, decreased crime rates and overall healthy living.

Why This is a Problem: SOS believes in an educational system where all children thrive. In certain areas of the Twin Cities, students are going home to neighborhoods where crime rates peak after school while programs that are vital to child development are being cut. As it stands, students are not being provided enough resources to create a realistic path to college or a life of prosperity.
In Minneapolis, approximately 50% of public school students will graduate from high school on time. A low-income 8th grader is three grade levels behind their peers in math and two grade levels behind their peers in reading. On average, a student who doesn’t graduate from high school costs society an average of $209,000 over the course of his or her lifetime.
These alarming truths directly correlate to a housing, employment and income gap that are among the highest in the nation. We believe that a small investment in providing early-on, stronger educational opportunities for our children helps reverse these trends, while creating a better quality of life and more vibrant communities.