Raymond James heads back to school with Boys & Girls Clubs
As 50 million students head back to school, Raymond James is helping ensure Boys & Girls Club members walk into the classroom prepared, confident and supported.
Through its Ready for School initiative and partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Raymond James is investing in America’s students. By expanding Boys & Girls Club academic success programs during out-of-school hours, Raymond James is strengthening learning opportunities for millions of kids year-round.
Summer learning supports school year success
Summer matters. It’s when students can thrive or fall behind. As Chrissy Chen, national director of youth development at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, explains:
“When young people are out of school and not practicing the math and reading skills they learned the previous year, they tend to forget some of those skills… But just six weeks of summer enrichment has been shown to help combat the summer slide and help young people enter the next grade ready to go.”
With Raymond James’ support, Boys & Girls Clubs keep more kids engaged and learning year-round. Through the Summer Brain Gain program, Club kids engage in hands-on summer learning experiences that help prevent learning loss. With access to programs in STEM, art, literacy and more, Club kids are more likely to retain math and reading skills during summer and get A’s and B’s when returning to school.
Through Raymond James’ partnership, more Clubs can offer Summer Brain Gain programming, keeping kids and teens engaged, learning and carrying new skills into the classroom.
Ready for school in every way
Academic preparation is only part of being ready for a new school year. Young people also need the supplies that allow them to walk into the classroom ready to participate and learn. This summer, Raymond James associates came together for a national back-to-school supplies drive benefiting local Boys & Girls Clubs. Team members collected backpacks and other school essentials for Club kids.
"Our associates were eager to give back through this supply drive because they understand that something as simple as a backpack or notebook can make a meaningful difference for a young person. I'm proud to see our people come together to help ensure youth are supported in every way as they head into a new school year." – Chris Aisenbrey, Chief Human Resources Officer, Raymond James, and Board Member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa Bay
Across 10 markets, the drive distributed over 300 backpacks and more than 3,500 supplies to youth at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.
By volunteering in the communities where they live and work, Raymond James team members are empowering more students to return to school ready to succeed.
Accelerating america’s students after school
Afterschool matters just as much as back to school. Through fun, hands-on strategies like Project Learn, Clubs help kids build on what they’re learning in the classroom, ensuring they don’t just keep up; but stay ahead. When fully integrated into Clubs, Project Learn has a proven positive impact on students: an 11% increase in overall GPA, 13% increase in math GPA and 66% decrease in school absences.
These benefits go beyond education. Through Boys & Girls Club’s youth-centered learning approach, kids build critical social-emotional skills for school, work and life. This impact is real: Club kids with strong social-emotional skills are three times more likely to graduate.
This back-to-school season, Raymond James and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are helping more students start strong and stay on track to graduation, opening the door to a brighter future for us all.
Learn more about the Raymond James and Boys & Girls Clubs of America partnership.