LUCKY SEVERSON: Kindergarteners from five Harlem elementary schools, their teachers, and parents heading into the famous Apollo Theatre -- wondering why they were there. It's doubtful they had ever heard of the Say Yes to Education program or of George Weiss, its founder, or Kimberly Carmichael, one of its graduates.
KIMBERLY CARMICHAEL (Speaking to Audience): I hope you enjoy and get as much out of this opportunity as you possibly can, because I know I did.
SEVERSON: Most didn't understand the significance of George Weiss's announcement -- why he had brought them here.GEORGE WEISS (Founder, Say Yes to Education) (Talking on Stage): We are going to pay for your college education.
SEVERSON: It took some time for them to comprehend. They had just been handed the American dream on a silver platter. All 425 of them would not only get a free college education, but tutoring along the way, free summer schools, college financial aid for their siblings, even free legal services and continuing education for their parents. No wonder they were kissing George Weiss.
These are neighborhoods Weiss knows all too well, where the opportunity to go to jail is much greater than the opportunity to succeed.
Mr. WEISS: I came from the other side of that side of the tracks.
SEVERSON: It was in a neighborhood like this in West Philadelphia that Weiss found his reason for giving. His fraternity at the University of Pennsylvania sponsored a Christmas party for inner-city kids. He became their friend and mentor, and when they all graduated from high school, he knew his purpose in life.Mr. WEISS: And I said to them, "I'm really impressed, you guys. I'm really proud of you guys." And one of them says to me, "George, we couldn't look you in the eye if we dropped out." And then I just said a silent pact with God. I said, "If you ever give me the financial wherewithal to do something to make a difference," I said, "I'll do something with education, and it will be about caring."
SEVERSON: When he became a highly successful and wealthy money manager, with offices in New York and Hartford, Connecticut, Weiss remembered his pact and teamed up with University of Pennsylvania scholar and senior education fellow, Professor Norman Newberg, to devise the Say Yes project. That was in 1987. Weiss would provide the money; Newberg and Penn, the support and expertise.
Dr. NORMAN NEWBERG (Scholar and Professor, University of Pennsylvania): Education is probably the best shot anyone has for improving the quality of their life and improving the quality of the life for their family. So that's a good investment.SEVERSON: First they invested in students like Kimberly Carmichael, one of 112 sixth graders from Belmont Elementary in West Philadelphia.
Ms. CARMICHAEL: Where I grew up at, you would think there were only black people, and the only white people that were around were the cops.
Mr. WEISS: They'd have to take several modes of transportation to get to school. They'd have to fight their way through drug dealers. They'd have to be taught by disinterested teachers. Then they'd reverse the process and go home to no food, sometimes taking care of the siblings.Ms. CARMICHAEL (Speaking to Audience): To all of the parents and all of you kids out there, you are so lucky. Congratulations.
Coming from a place where we've come from, the Belmont kids, to have someone give something to you is amazing. They constantly stayed on us. Like, "Okay, you guys have this opportunity. You need to do something with it." So they were always there.SEVERSON: Weiss's program helped Kimberly succeed. But there were also disappointments. Of the 112 kids, only 20 graduated from college and 24 received two-year or trade school degrees. The high school dropout rate was 35 percent, which is good for West Philadelphia. But 20 kids ended up in jail -- three for murder.
Dr. NEWBERG: We have some young people in prison, and we say to them, "Look, you're in prison because you were convicted of a felony. But I want you to know as soon as you get out, come to the office because we want to talk about education."
SEVERSON: Half the girls, like Jolena Fuller, got pregnant before they were 18, unable to go on.
Ms. FULLER: Education is a really big part of my household. You have to have your education. You know, it's a must.
SEVERSON: Weiss started four other Say Yes programs in other cities, always in cooperation with local universities. And with each program, he learned new ways to make it better. For instance, in the beginning kids were enrolled in the sixth grade. Now it's kindergarten.
NATASHA BROOKS: I'm going to be setting the path for him, 'cause when I'm going to school and he sees what I'm doing, that is encouraging him to stay in school to make something better. And sometimes he offers to help me with my homework.
Mr. WEISS: I said, "I'm making a difference in your lives, we are making a difference in your lives, and what I expect at some point, whichever way you can do it, is I want you to make a difference in others', somebody else's life."
HAROLD SHIELDS: Say Yes to Education can't change a community for the long term. What they can do is to water the seeds that are already there, and to hope that those seeds can grow and continue to water more seeds and more seeds.
SEVERSON: He says he sometimes lies awake at night worrying about raising enough money beyond his own to keep the program going, but mostly he worries about the kids. For RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, I'm Lucky Severson in New York.
