YOU GOT GAME? Campaign
Donation protected
YOU GOT GAME? Campaign
My name is Asia Mai and I work at a therapeutic after-school program called ASPIRE at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester, MA. My role as a Community Educator is to assist students with homework and run enrichment activities. Over the last few months, my role has changed and expanded to administration work, family outreach, classroom engagement and some social work. The students I work with are students that are impacted by trauma, poverty, mental health disorders and other conditions. All the situations can range but what really baffles me are the students that excel academically, even despite the situations they were or still are enduring. Most come from single-parent households. Some don't have clothes that are clean, often wearing the same uniform many times a week. Some come from families that have little money to spare. Some wear shoes that are too small or too worn for New England weather. Some don't get enough sleep, or have a place to sleep. Some go hungry because school meals are the only time they get to eat throughout the days. Some are refugees, or immigrants learning to adjust and sustain themselves in the United States.
Knowing these things, I don’t want to sit by and watch them try to survive, because I know the heavy feelings in their chest of the things they worry about. I came from where they came from, Dorchester, a rough place where many do not make it out. Luckily, I had family members that were able to reward me with sneakers and gifts when I received good grades, or I was able to buy things myself when I was old enough to work. My students rarely have one adult that can provide basic necessities. Since my employment here, most of my students know that I have a love for sneakers, and I know many of them do, too. But since many of these families are living in poverty, the families don’t have excess funds to spend on basics, let alone new sneaker releases and other luxuries, I wanted to lighten the burden. I wanted to come up with a way to recognize and reward the students that always come with their A game and push through when the odds are stacked against them. I also wanted to motivate other students to bring their A game and join other YOU GOT GAME? Scholars on the road to success.
My mission for the YOU GOT GAME? Campaign is to raise donations to honor and support students that excel in their academics despite all of the adversities they face. This holiday season, you can give back! My hope is to raise at least $9,000 for 60 students for the next two semesters. I hope to extend this campaign to the rest of the school and other schools in the Greater Boston area if donations exceed my intended goal.
There will be 2 ways that you can donate:
1. Online via GoFundMe
2. Offline donations (Offline Donations will be open on December 17th at the SneakerGreet event in Somerville, MA. After December 17th, please contact me for local offline donations options)
With 3 types of gift cards* your donation will go towards:
-A gift card to a sneaker retailer (FootLocker, Champs, Finish Line, etc.)
-A gift card to GameStop
-A Visa gift card/check for students to spend on their families for whatever they may need (groceries, utilities, clothing, medication, school supplies, etc.)
*You may indicate what your donation goes towards, if you wish
**In return, you can receive a handwritten letter from a student that you helped support!
Donation Nominations
High Honors: All A’s - eligible for a $100 gift card
Honor Roll: A’s & B’s - eligible for a $50 gift card
~30 students * $50 GC = $1,500
~30 students * $100 GC = $3,000
My name is Asia Mai and I work at a therapeutic after-school program called ASPIRE at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester, MA. My role as a Community Educator is to assist students with homework and run enrichment activities. Over the last few months, my role has changed and expanded to administration work, family outreach, classroom engagement and some social work. The students I work with are students that are impacted by trauma, poverty, mental health disorders and other conditions. All the situations can range but what really baffles me are the students that excel academically, even despite the situations they were or still are enduring. Most come from single-parent households. Some don't have clothes that are clean, often wearing the same uniform many times a week. Some come from families that have little money to spare. Some wear shoes that are too small or too worn for New England weather. Some don't get enough sleep, or have a place to sleep. Some go hungry because school meals are the only time they get to eat throughout the days. Some are refugees, or immigrants learning to adjust and sustain themselves in the United States.
Knowing these things, I don’t want to sit by and watch them try to survive, because I know the heavy feelings in their chest of the things they worry about. I came from where they came from, Dorchester, a rough place where many do not make it out. Luckily, I had family members that were able to reward me with sneakers and gifts when I received good grades, or I was able to buy things myself when I was old enough to work. My students rarely have one adult that can provide basic necessities. Since my employment here, most of my students know that I have a love for sneakers, and I know many of them do, too. But since many of these families are living in poverty, the families don’t have excess funds to spend on basics, let alone new sneaker releases and other luxuries, I wanted to lighten the burden. I wanted to come up with a way to recognize and reward the students that always come with their A game and push through when the odds are stacked against them. I also wanted to motivate other students to bring their A game and join other YOU GOT GAME? Scholars on the road to success.
My mission for the YOU GOT GAME? Campaign is to raise donations to honor and support students that excel in their academics despite all of the adversities they face. This holiday season, you can give back! My hope is to raise at least $9,000 for 60 students for the next two semesters. I hope to extend this campaign to the rest of the school and other schools in the Greater Boston area if donations exceed my intended goal.
There will be 2 ways that you can donate:
1. Online via GoFundMe
2. Offline donations (Offline Donations will be open on December 17th at the SneakerGreet event in Somerville, MA. After December 17th, please contact me for local offline donations options)
With 3 types of gift cards* your donation will go towards:
-A gift card to a sneaker retailer (FootLocker, Champs, Finish Line, etc.)
-A gift card to GameStop
-A Visa gift card/check for students to spend on their families for whatever they may need (groceries, utilities, clothing, medication, school supplies, etc.)
*You may indicate what your donation goes towards, if you wish
**In return, you can receive a handwritten letter from a student that you helped support!
Donation Nominations
High Honors: All A’s - eligible for a $100 gift card
Honor Roll: A’s & B’s - eligible for a $50 gift card
~30 students * $50 GC = $1,500
~30 students * $100 GC = $3,000
Organizer
Asia Mai
Organizer
Boston, MA