Director's Message for September 2002

A monthly e-newsletter for current and future women of color doctoral candidates.

SisterMentors Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary and Launches Its Second Fundraising Drive

This month SisterMentors celebrates its fifth anniversary and launches its second fundraising drive. SisterMentors was featured in the August 2002 issue of ESSENCE magazine as one of 50 programs that empower girls of color.

We are proud of our accomplishments during the past five years. SisterMentors has helped 14 women of color to get their doctorates and mentors 25 girls of color in middle and high schools in the Washington, D.C. area. At least two more SisterMentors' women will get their doctorate in 2002 and we will help 20 women of color to make progress on their dissertation.

Our commitment to SisterMentors' work is stronger than ever because the need for our program remains high. Statistics show that of all doctoral degrees awarded in 2000, only 9.9 percent went to women of color (Latina, African American, Asian American, and Native American). A report prepared by the Brookings Institute states that "the District of Columbia has not reached a 60 percent graduation rate in the last decade." A recent report by the American Association of University Women ("AAUW") Educational Foundation shows a 30 percent dropout rate among Latinas in middle and high schools.

SisterMentors is an innovative program tackling the issue of high attrition among women of color graduate students and girls of color in middle and high schools. For more current information about our program, please click here for our Summer/Fall Newsletter.

Please support SisterMentors' work by sending a donation to help with continued mentoring of women and girls of color pursuing an education. Your donation is tax deductible because SisterMentors is a project of EduSeed®, a 501(c) nonprofit organization.

Our goal is to raise at least $20,000 by September 15, 2002 but we are accepting donations beyond this date.

We are very grateful for the warm words of encouragement and support we have received from so many people over the past five years. Thank you for your support of SisterMentors!

Shireen K. Lewis, J.D., Ph.D., Executive Director

DONATION FORM

Name:

Mailing Address:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

	Yes, I would like to donate $100 or more to SisterMentors. My check is in the mail.
	Yes, I can donate $100 and pledge to mail two payments of $50 by October 15, 2002.
	No, I cannot donate $100 at this time but am mailing a check for:
	$75 $50 $25

Please make your check payable to EduSeed®/SisterMentors and mail to:

EduSeed®/SisterMentors
1666 K Street, NW Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006

Thank you for your support! Please remember your donation is tax deductible!