ORLANDO – Young people can always use a helping hand while chasing their academic and professional dreams. To jump over life’s hurdles and reach their full potential, many children need the support from the community around them. Without it, unfortunately many youth stumble, especially when it comes to getting a college degree.
One particular institution determined to increase the number of kids who attend college and set themselves up for a brighter future is Valencia College. Its Horizon Scholars Program, a non-profit organization in Florida that enriches the lives of young people in Orange County, helps underserved youth be more successful in their transition from home and high school to college and independent living.
With assistance from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF), more teenagers in the area are benefitting from the program. The Valencia College Foundation was one of 16 agencies this year to receive grant money from the OMYF, which has distributed nearly $25 million to more than 500 local organizations over the last 29 years.
“We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation,” said Kelly Astro, Director of the Horizon Scholars Program at Valencia. “The funding that has been provided to us directly supports the student programming and the mentor programming.”
Many kids, sadly, drop out or flunk out of school for reasons that could have been resolved long before it reached that point. In some instances, they got involved with the wrong crowd and were poorly influenced. In other cases, limited finances prevented them from going to or remaining in college.
Whatever the reasons for each student, Valencia College is making a concerted effort every day to reduce how often this occurs.
The Horizon Scholars Program uses four pillars – scholarship, mentorship, leadership development, and civic engagement – to help Orange County high school students in the academic middle and those living in poverty further their education and develop their skills for future career opportunities.
Although the program launched at Valencia in 2007, it was in 2016, Astro says, when it really skyrocketed. That’s when the program implemented many of its key features, including leadership workshops and other co-curricular experiences.
Proud to be able to work side by side with caring and generous organizations like the Magic, Astro and her staff at Valencia are extremely grateful for the support they have received from the local community.
While the Magic’s financial contributions have made a huge difference, the team’s human contributions, Astro says, has propelled it to new heights. The Magic, over the last few years, have hosted Horizon Scholars Program students at various events. Most recently, mentors from the Magic took students and their families on a behind-the-scenes tour, which gave them access to learn about careers in professional sports.
“What it has really done is allowed us to open doors for our students to let them see different opportunities that exist for them, whether that’s within the world of professional sports or just the good work that the Magic do,” Astro said. “It has taken the Magic from just a basketball team, in their eyes, to truly a member of the community that cares about the community. And that it’s not just about basketball, that it’s about the greater Orlando community.”
Currently, there are 450 students from 19 different Orange County high schools in the program. Valencia’s plan is to bring on an additional 250 students next year and their goal is to have 1,500 students in the program over the next five to six years.
“There is nothing like the feeling of looking into a student’s eyes when they realize a dream they always had is actually becoming a reality,” Astro said. “A hundred percent of our seniors graduate (high school) and a hundred percent start college. To know that for so many of them that without this program it wouldn’t have happened is something that gives me even more of a purpose to continue to do the work that we do and to expand the program to reach more and more students.”
Later this season, the Magic will hold their second annual Orlando Wine Festival & Auction, which will include private vintner dinners, an auction of exclusive offerings, a festival of luxury, and a thrilling VIP Magic game-day experience. Proceeds from the entire event will be distributed to local non-profit organizations to help at-risk children in Central Florida. To learn more, visit https://wineauctionorlando.com/