“After attending so many fundraising events where the cost of putting on and attending the events often exceeded the benefits provided to the people receiving the funds, and wanting to see African-American women more involved in philanthropy, I became passionate about creating a different approach.  My husband encouraged me to gather a group of women together who could contribute funds to create a college scholarship fund for high-achieving minority students in the Cincinnati-area, who also had financial need.  What was important to me was creating a simple way for these busy women to participate that didn’t require a lot of meetings, bureaucracy, or the typical administrative costs of fundraising.  I wanted as much of the funds as possible to be available to directly support the students.  Advocates for Youth Education was born, and over 30 years later, we are still going strong!”

When we founded AYE in July 1989, it appeared that many organizations relied upon fundraisers to raise money for their projects or initiatives; however, too much of the money raised did not return to the program dollar-for-dollar. To ensure that there was a larger pool of funds to support our students we decided that, aside from a small portion that routes to business operations, our members’ financial commitments would go directly to our scholarship recipients. I am pleased to know that as a result of this decision, and as the organization grows, we have been able to support the continued academic future of more and more students each year.

I did not have to look far to confirm what I knew anecdotally about the unmet needs for financial support of minority students who aspired to attend college. I was employed at a college at the time, and part of my portfolio was admissions and financial aid.. Each year I noticed well-prepared minority students being admitted, receive some financial support but not enough for tuition and fees, and often become saddled with huge student loan debt and doubts about being able to reach their academic goals. I thought AYE could help fill this void, and with its “pay to play, no fundraising philosophy” set an example for the students we were trying to help.

was one of the original five founders.  She is now deceased, however, her energy for helping to create the organization was infectious.  Agnes was a very active member of the community, who had a can-do attitude and a penchant for getting things done, and we benefited greatly from her involvement.  For her, the idea of women supporting children – while having fun – was a perfect combination!

was serving as superintendent of the Cincinnati Public School District when Merri approached her about the idea of creating AYE.  Having witnessed the profound impact that education had on the lives and futures of young, minority students first-hand, Lee Etta was thrilled about the idea that a group of women would, on their own, take responsibility for creating a scholarship fund that would support college education.  She has been proud to be a part of an organization that has made such a difference.