Bonner Twins College Tuition Fund

JaMaya and Jasmine Bonner are twins from East St. Louis in Missouri. I have been their "big sister" through a program called Join Hands ESL and have known each of them since they were 11 years old. They are amazing girls. Both were trained Peace Warriors through Join Hands and part of only the second teen group in the country to be nationally trained to teach Dr.  Martin Luther King's Six Principles of Non-Violence. They are determined young activists who are ready for college so they can further their education.

I was so proud when they were accepted with a full scholarship to my alma mater, Nerinx Hall High School, and for the sacrifices they've made to receive an education. For 3 years they took a bus, the Metro-Link, and then another bus to get them to and from school. It took over an hour, each way. They got up at 5am and stood at the bus stop in the dark, during winter months. If one was sick, the other didn't go to school. They each got jobs and saved so they could buy a car for their senior year.

Throughout high school, they have shown themselves to be amazing leaders. Both were student ambassadors at Nerinx. JaMaya was on student council and Jasmine was on the leadership team of the Diversity Club. They did all of this while working outside jobs with a lot of hours and still made great grades. Now, here they are at the end of their senior year. It's not the graduation they pictured, but graduating they are:

JaMaya is graduating with honors, and has been accepted at Spelman University in Georgia. Spelman is the #1 ranking HBCU in all of the U.S and it is an incredible honor to be accepted. We are all taking a big breath because, after scholarships and FAFSA, it will still be $32,000 a year. Her backup is the University of Illinois-Chicago, but it is her dream to attend Spelman.

Jasmine has been accepted with a scholarship at Southeast Missouri University and is super excited to begin her college career there. Her dream is to become a congresswoman and continue to create positive change for under-served communities. She will need an additional $12,000 a year to be able to attend.

All things are possible and we truly believe that with the help of everyone we can send these amazing young women to college. We want to be able to raise as much as we can before August 1st, when their tuition payments begin. Every dollar donated will be put into their college fund. Any additional money raised will be used to cover future tuition as well as the many educational costs that will incur from textbooks, fees, and housing expenses.

Whether you send a donation or share this GoFundMe campaign, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your impact in helping these girls is indescribable, they are without a doubt going on to do amazing things with your support!

(From left to right: Jasmine, myself (Holly), my sister (Ashby), and JaMaya)

(The twins with my mother (Mitzi) who has been a mentor to them since 2014)