Goal Card Program

As our Goal Card students and their families adjust to the “new normal” with regards to social distancing and online learning, RISE is making sure that they know that the Goal Card Program is continuously working to assist them.  

To maintain the safety of our program participants, Goal Card has shifted to online programming for the 2020-2021 school year. The essence of the Goal Card program remains intact— our incentives program continues, report card evaluations to determine our students’ progress continues, our virtually hosted Redemptions with coaches continues, and online financial literacy lessons with our participating school sites have been facilitated via virtual conferencing and various social media platforms.

The Goal Card Grad program is especially geared up and ready to assist high school seniors during these uncertain times. The purpose of this program is to provide direct support and related resources to our graduating seniors while aiding with the development of soft skills and post-secondary placement. During their virtual senior assessments, Goal Card Coordinators discuss seniors ACT scores and post-secondary plans. Goal Card Grad is a tremendous resource and keeps seniors connected to events such as the Virtual FAFSA Frenzy sponsored by The Destiny House. Every Wednesday in October they will host a free FAFSA session to guide parents and students through the application process.

RISE IS STILL HERE FOR OUR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS.

RISE continues to serve families of Goal Card students through these uncertain times with an emphasis on facilitating their nutritional needs by participating along with community partners in local mobile food drives.  Since March 15, 2020 Goal Card students have contacted their program coordinators with many requests for services.   The academic growth and development of our student’s is paramount, and the demand to ensure that student’s stay focused and engaged with their studies is escalating.  

On May 22 and June 5, 2020, Goal Card Program volunteers and staff participated in mobile food drives along with community partners who have committed to eliminating poverty for youth living in one of the city’s most impoverished zip codes, 38126.  Hosted by the Memphis Food Bank and the Women’s Foundation of Memphis, this event allowed RISE and other community partners to bring much needed food supplies to families that they work with each and every day.  Goal Card parents were able to pick up food boxes that would feed a family of three for up to two weeks.  Through these volunteer efforts, a total of 500 eligible households in zip code 38126 received fresh food, hygiene kits and baby supplies for their families. 

The RISE Goal Card program focuses on student’s improvements in grades, conduct and school attendance with the assistance of Goal Card Coaches (volunteers from corporations and organizations) to help encourage the positive achievement of goal setting and financial literacy.   To help our student’s and their families navigate through these difficult times the Goal Card Program has moved all of its programming to an on-line platform and have been working remotely servicing families with emergency funding, food and medicine vouchers and resources for emergency housing and utility relief.  Please help Goal Card to continue this critical work in our community by donating today to the RISE Foundation.  Your contribution will directly benefit families in need who have been disproportionally impacted by COVID-19.