WASHINGTON — Doris Buffett —聽the older sister of billionaire Warren Buffett 鈥� has donated a $2 million grant to Germanna Community College to establish an early college program focused on helping young, black males get a leg up in life.
The 聽is a duel enrollment program that will enable selected students from Buffett’s聽hometown of Fredericksburg and nearby Spotsylvania to graduate from high school with an associate’s degree. Students would begin taking classes in 11th grade. The program is open to all first generation college, underserved students, and since April 5, is also open to female students.
“We鈥檒l have over 100 students to receive their associate鈥檚 degrees in general studies,鈥� says Antwan Perry, Gladys Todd Academy Project Director at Germanna, 鈥淲e鈥檒l have hundreds聽more participate in the summer program and the summer bridge.”
Buffett, 87, is the founder of the Sunshine Lady Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to聽addressing social causes. 聽In聽April, Buffett chose to zero in聽on helping to lift up young,聽low-income, black males, 聽from the bottom of the high school graduation barrel.
In fact, according to the Schott Foundation for Public Educationan聽estimated 59 percent聽of black males graduated from high school on time in the 2012-2013 school year, compared to聽65 percent聽of Latino males and聽80 percent聽of white males.
Faced with that disparity, Buffett believes many young, black males who don鈥檛 graduate from high school will spiral into a life of poverty and hopelessness. However, 聽if someone can intercede and help change the direction of their聽lives, Buffett says young, black males can be directed to a more productive path.
“I would say that someone who cares about them makes all the difference,鈥� Buffett says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just about the whole story right there.聽 That does it for them.”
The program will also have a middle school聽counterpart, the pre-college Gladys Todd Academy, which聽will act as a feeder system聽for eight-grade聽students transitioning to high school.
“What we鈥檙e doing with the academy, we鈥檙e starting at the middle school level,” Perry says. “If we can get students interested in college, their families involved. They鈥檒l be more likely to attend college once they鈥檙e at that age.”
The Gladys Todd will begin its mentoring program this summer and its scholarship academy in the fall.
