About Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit
One of 18 affiliates across the United States and Latin America, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit helps academically motivated middle and high school students rise above disadvantaged backgrounds and become successful in college and beyond.
Our goal is to graduate young people who are physically, emotionally and academically prepared for post-secondary education and a productive life, breaking the cycle of poverty. BHGH of Detroit utlizes the following elements to achieve our mission:
- Academic excellence
- Service and community engagement
- Family-like settings to cultivate youth empowerment
- Long-term and comprehensive programming
- Faith-based values
- Voluntary participant commitment
"I'm grateful my son has the opportunity to partner with a program that motivates and teaches him to reach his full potential. Being in this program has helped increase his interest in college. I believe his attitude has changed because of his experience with BHGH."
BHGH Parent
Our Mission
To nurture and guide motivated young people in need to become well-educated, career-ready men and women for others.
Our Vision
Our goal is to graduate young people who are physically, emotionally, and academically prepared for post-secondary education and a productive life, breaking the cycle of generational poverty.
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ACADEMIC FOCUS
We believe in the transformative power of education to develop lifelong learners using:
• Strengths-based, positive youth development approaches
• Practical preparation for careers to sustain one’s self and family
• Exposure to diverse opportunities that enrich one’s life and enhance learning
• Scholarship incentives encouraging and maximizing self-motivated learning -
SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We believe in the Jesuit-inspired, values-centered hallmark of building “persons for others” by:
• Developing character through service learning activities related to social justice and civic responsibility
• Educating those at every level of our organization in cultural competence
• Seeking collaborative partnerships to enhance our mission -
FAMILY-LIKE SETTINGS TO CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING
We believe youth derive their energy and sustenance from exposure to nurturing environments that provide:
• Inclusion in a loving community that meets youth where they are but sets high expectations
• A feeling of “being home,” with residential care as needed
• Strong and supportive developmental relationships with adult mentors and peers
• Stability, structure, and individualized guidance in small settings
• Modeling of positive values -
LONG-TERM AND COMPREHENSIVE COMMITMENT
We believe an enduring relationship with youth holds the most promise for attaining positive outcomes by:
• Intervening early to support scholars from adolescence through college graduation and beyond
• Offering a holistic spectrum of programming that evolves with the age and needs of youth
• Providing ample opportunities for youth to develop social and emotional learning skills -
FAITH-BASED VALUES
We believe that a loving God cares about the life of every individual and we manifest this belief by:
• Focusing on those most in need of our services
• Respecting, serving and engaging people from all faith traditions
• Fostering spirituality and an active faith life as essential elements of healthy personal development
• Helping youth develop a moral compass based on universal principles -
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPANT COMMITMENT
We believe in the motivational power of selfselection into the BHGH program because:
• Parents and Scholars share a vision for a better future
• Scholars elect to invest in themselves and are empowered to join
• Families value and trust in a working partnership with BHGH
• BHGH serves bright, capable young people who are motivated to overcome obstacles to reach their potential
Our Local Impact
BHGH of Detroit History
1984
BHGH of Detroit Founded
1991
First Residential Scholars graduate from high school and go on to college
2009
Hope Academy Starts
The first Hope Academy begins at Cristo Rey High School
2014
30 Year Anniversary
BHGH Celebrates 30 years in the city of Detroit
2015-2016
Collegian Success
BHGH expands programming to support Scholars through college
2014
Loyola
Hope Academy expands to serve young men at Loyola High School
Leadership
The Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit Board of Directors and staff leadership collaborate to ensure mission fidelity, financial stewardship and transparency. This team of professionals is committed to continuous learning, effective programming and improvement through impact evaluation and innovation.
Dr. Patrice S. Johnson
Executive Director
Rebecca Limbaugh
Deputy Director of Scholar Support
Board of Directors
Daniel Laible, Chair
Executive Vice President and CFO
NYX, Inc.
Tiffany Taylor, Vice Chair
Vice President, Deputy Chief People Officer
Teach For America
Michael Armstrong
Corporate Recruiter/ Talent Acquisition Specialist
MINTH Group
Kerrie Binno
Senior Strategic Account Manager
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Paul Bohn
Partner
Fausone Bohn, LLP
Kelli Coleman
Founder/CEO
KMColeman Group
Dante Dixson, PhD
Assistant Professor- Educational Psychology
Wayne State University
Dan Dulworth
Member
Clark Hill PLC
Bill Hyde
Vice President – Creative Director
Rock Gaming
Jeff Rogers
CEO
Universal Logistics Holding
The Need We Address
Prior to joining our program, our scholars’ circumstances include environmental barriers that make it difficult to concentrate on achieving their goals. The relationship between educational failure and poverty creates a vicious cycle that affects too many children in our communities and negatively impacts our entire society.
- Twenty-one percent of children in the US live in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014)
- Children born into poverty are six times more likely to drop out of school (Cities in Crisis, 2008).
- The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower their overall level of academic achievement (Guo and Harris, 2000).
- Children from families in the highest income quartile are 8 times as likely to earn a college degree that those from the lowest income quartile (Pell Institute and Penn Ahead, 2015).
- In 1980, college graduates earned 29% more than those without. By 2007, that gap grew to 66% (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- The costs to United States society are significant in terms of economic productivity, tax revenue, health care over-utilization, parental attention to children’s educational development, civic engagement, and volunteerism (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- According to CEOs for Cities, every one percentage point increase in adult four-year college degree attainment adds an additional $763 to per capita income per year (One Student at a Time, 2013).
- Cohen and Piquero (2009) monetized the cost to society over the course of a “negative outcome” child’s lifetime as follows: High School Dropout = $390,000 - $580,000, Plus Heavy Drug User = $846,000 – $1.1 Million, Plus Career Criminal = $3.2 - $5.8 Million.