08/15/2020
Up By The Bootstraps, Inc Announcement
To all our loyal supporters and contributors of our non-profit organization, on March 7, 2020, we held what turned out to be the last SAT Prep Class of Up By The Bootstraps, Inc.
The session was opened-up to all students of Douglas County and in honor of the late executive director my daughter Margaret-Kim McCarley we made the sessions free to all that registered.
The students received a College Board SAT Prep Book valued approximately at $28.00 and a mentor’s guide to preparing for college, written by Dr. Claudia Barnett, Ph.D. valued at $17.00, until our supplies ran out. We provided snacks and drinks and held the sessions at the Anneewakee Trails Clubhouse, and we are so grateful for their in-kind contribution. We are also grateful to The Douglas County Chamber which let us use their space when we truly needed a space for prior classes. The chamber is a true partner to the for profit and non-profit business community they serve. It is truly a wonderful organization that we have been fortunate enough to be involved with. We are blessed.
Our instructor Philip Smith of which nothing but the highest praise can be said, taught between 30 and 36 students over the three Saturdays. To do this we emptied our treasury to provide this opportunity just before the SAT test the following week.
Although, we had no way of knowing the COVID-19 would abruptly change all our lives and how we would operate going forward, our timing and our decision to make the sessions free was appropriate and timely.
We are not sad to close our doors because going forward we need to find new models for education, teaching, and college entrance requirements. Tomorrow’s college testing needs to better reflect how to include students rather than exclude them based on testing and cost should never be a barrier.
It was our pleasure to serve the residents of Douglas County, It is truly a lovely place to live and raise a family. To the community of supporters, we will be eternally grateful to you for you help. When, we told you it was difficult to impossible to pull one’s self, up by their bootstraps, you agreed and stepped up to support our endeavor, and made it much easier for students to master the SAT and conquer their fear of the test. Thank you.
We had a group of amazing board members; we could not have done as much as we did without their help. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, you are so appreciated.
We were honored to serve the community in the capacity that we did. Although we have closed this chapter, we remain committed to the education of our youth.
Gwyndolyn Parker
Founder Up By The Bootstraps, Inc.
