11/30/2022
The Matthew Gaffney Foundation was founded by Margaret Benedict in honor of her father, Dr Matthey Gaffney, a renowned educator known for his commitment to educational excellence, innovation, and diversity. The Foundation is based in Stamford and serves the students of lower Fairfield County with college counseling and placement services. Their mission is “To provide highly motivated, economically disadvantaged students an opportunity to have a successful college experience and productive career”.
The Matthew Gaffney Foundation works with local high schools to identify highly motivated and skilled students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and mentors and counsels the students through their academic careers preparing them for the college application process. Most of these students are the first generation in their family to attend college and therefore have little idea of the required coursework and application process. The Foundation provides SAT/ACT preparation, Course advisement, College placement counseling, College mentoring, Supervised trips to visit colleges, A summer camp experience. The Foundation members stay with the students through their academic career, from mentoring in high school to continuing to support them through their college experience. Over the past 15yrs they have graduated 200 students with a 99% graduation rate. The national average graduation rate for first generation college students is 14%, with an 86% drop out rate. The students graduate debt free from such schools as, Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Harvard, Lehigh, Pitzer, Princeton, St. Lawrence, Trinity, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Vermont.
In addition to the counseling and mentoring, The Gaffney Foundation also works with the colleges to identify scholarship programs, which leave the students debt free. The Foundation has 58 students in college on full scholarships, with 15 seniors applying to colleges and hopes to recruit 20 juniors this year.
In the past St. Johns has donated $10,000 per year, which supports two students from junior year in high school through college graduation.
