Q1 2025 Education Update: Building Quiet Momentum
The Steele Family FoundationQUIET START, STRONG DIRECTION
As March 2025 closes, the Education Pillar shows steady, behind the scenes support for WISE participants and partner sites. Full time Senior Scholarship Administrators at Grace Sober Living, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, and the Just Keep Livin Foundation stay close to participants through one to one meetings, WISE portal check ins, and early year planning for academics, activities, and service hours.
DAILY GUIDANCE FROM SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP ADMINISTRATORS
These first three months keep the spotlight on participants facing generational poverty, housing instability, gaps in academic guidance, and addiction recovery. Support through CAF America keeps a wraparound model in place, where Senior Scholarship Administrators show up in daily life, not only during scholarship deadlines. Frequent contact allows early intervention when grades slip or motivation slows, and each WISE participant knows a consistent adult who understands personal goals, pressures, and progress in the portal.
SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP ON PI DAY
One of the clearest Q1 moments arrived on March 14, when WISE scholars at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale marked Pi Day by serving pie to younger members. The scene looked light and fun, yet the purpose ran deeper. Scholars practiced service, hospitality, and responsibility. Younger members watched older youth step into leadership roles. Staff watched WISE participants plan, arrive on time, and follow through from setup to clean up.
TURNING SERVICE INTO DATA AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRESS
Pi Day reflects a larger pattern inside WISE. Service hours count as a core part of scholarship progress, not a side activity. A short volunteer shift in a Club kitchen feeds directly into the WISE portal, under Social and Non Formal Education. Logged hours later contribute to scholarship decisions and build a visible record of contribution, not only need. That loop between real world service and portal data sits at the center of Q1 work across all streams.
RECOVERY, LEARNING, AND VISION AT GRACE SOBER LIVING
At Grace Sober Living, early 2025 programming blends recovery, structured learning, and clear vision for the future. WISE participants in recovery attend weekly classes, reflect on goals, and start mapping out campus visits and training options for later in the year. The scholarship framework offers a straightforward path forward, with points linked to course completion, volunteering, and consistent engagement with WISE staff. Adult participants gain both accountability and hope, knowing effort today shapes access to education tomorrow.
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE REST OF 2025
Across all streams, Q1 2025 feels like a quarter of foundations rather than headlines. Schedules, expectations, and habits are settling in. Participants are learning how to record activities in the portal, how the 100 point system works, and how regular contact with a Senior Scholarship Administrator shapes a path toward higher education. A single afternoon serving pie at the Club in March captures the tone of this first quarter. Small, consistent actions, recorded and reflected on, already point toward larger outcomes for WISE participants through the rest of 2025.
