Greater Steps Scholars, an organization providing scholarships to students from the public housing communities of Charlotte, North Carolina, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a gala. This in-person celebration was the first of its kind since 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
At the event, the organization received a $1 million donation from John D. Richards, a financial professional with Wells Fargo, and his wife, Ann Richards. The donation will go toward the John T. Crawford Legacy Scholarship, named after the Greater Steps Scholars founder.
Aisha Strothers, executive director of Greater Steps Scholars, said the funding will continue to support the organization’s mission to provide students with access to education and “to ensure that each and every child living in our public and subsidized housing communities in Charlotte has the opportunity for and the expectation of a college education," she said.
Since 1983, the nonprofit has awarded over $4.2 million in scholarships to students. As well as providing financial aid, Greater Steps Scholars offers one-on-one coaching and emotional support.
Strothers said the nonprofit provides a range of assistance to help students with their longterm futures.
“Having the financial access to post-secondary education, combined with emotional support and the social capital we provide through our programming, will help our scholars create viable paths to self-sufficiency and upward mobility,” Strothers said.
Greater Steps Scholars also sets up career days and helps students with internships. They network with companies such as Wells Fargo and AvidXchange to expose teens to potential career paths. Strothers said it’s essential that scholars have these experiences to enhance their portfolios. Greater Steps Scholars targets paid opportunities for students to help remove barriers prohibiting teens from applying for internships.
“It’s really important that students take advantage of that so that they can add that to their resume and make them more marketable once they graduate,” Strothers said.
Strothers added that Greater Steps Scholars aims to foster more relationships that expose teens to various career paths.
“We also try to push for paid internships because many of our students do not take advantage of internships because they have to work and if the internship is not paid, they will forgo that to work and help with their family," Strothers said.
The organizations’ scholars typically range between the ages of 17 to 25 and are supported with up to five years of scholarship funding. Each student that receives a scholarship must participate in the programming being offered, such as the mentoring program, which is designed to expose students to specific professionals.
“We pair each one of our students with a mentor in their career field,” Strothers said. “So, that they can help give them guidance, they can help direct them or give them suggestions about opportunities like internships, seminars, workshops.”