C-town Spirit and Entrepreneurship Education Foundation, Inc

THE ALRAY TAYLOR
SECOND CHANCE SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Sometimes, just making it to college isn’t enough.

High school students from the inner city often have to navigate a minefield of obstacles and distractions to get to college. But once they get on campus, too many find that their college careers can be easily derailed, sometimes as a result of small missteps that can cascade into something far more serious. Without strong support systems in place to help these students recover, many who leave the college path find it extremely difficult to get back on it.

This new scholarship is designed for precisely that kind of student: A promising individual from Boston’s inner city who had the smarts and drive to get to college but who needs some crucial assistance in finding a way back there.

The fund is designed to help meet a need highlighted in the new book THE ASSIST: Hoops, Hope, and The Game of Their Lives (www.theassist.net) by Neil Swidey. One of the book’s central themes is that while urban students can often reach great heights, thanks to their own talents and the support of dedicated people around them, they are usually afforded far fewer second chances when things don’t go as planned.

The Second Chance referred to in the name of the fund will encompass more than just financial assistance. As part of the program, a dedicated mentor will be teamed with the recipient to offer guidance and support across the college experience, with the goal of helping the student avoid the missteps of the past.

The scholarship is named after Alray Taylor, a warm-hearted former basketball star at Boston’s Charlestown High School. Alray, who had earned a Division I college basketball scholarship, was killed in 2006.

The Second Chance fund is hosted by the C-town Spirit & Entrepreneurship Education Foundation (www.c-townspirit.org), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization affiliated with respected accounting firm Vitale Caturano & Company Ltd. (www.vitale.com). The diverse group overseeing the new fund includes the author of THE ASSIST; the inspirational coach at the center of the book; three of his former players who graduated from prestigious colleges and are excelling in their careers while also giving back; a business consultant and entrepreneur who has been working with public housing organizations and coaching high school youth in entrepreneurial education; a Fulbright Scholar who is an entrepreneurship teacher at Charlestown High School; the head of public safety for Mass Housing, who has extensive experience working with young people living in public housing across the state; and the director and associate director of Tufts University’s renowned Institute for Global Leadership.

For more information about the book, please visit www.theassist.net .

For more information about the fund, please contact Michael Wanyo by phone at (617) 395-2608 or by e-mail at michael.wanyo@c-townspirit.org

or, please consider making a donation: