VIP Director's Letter / Current News
Director's Letter
The Office of Special Programs and the Volunteers in Partnership (VIP) extends its
gratitude for the interest and support given to the VIP Program. In 2006, the staff identified directives to broaden opportunities for outreach and growth.
The VIP Program staff applied for four grants in 2006, received two grants for the 2006-2007 academic year, and is awaiting word on the two additional grant submissions. In February 2007, the Denver Foundation awarded the VIP Program a grant to expand the Summer Link Program to include an additional 15 students for summer 2007.
The Summer Link Program is an outreach to students who will enter their junior year in High School. During the program, students participate in a college experience for one week. This not only gives students a chance to become familiar with a university setting, but also affords students preparedness for college classes and exposure to cultural and community programs.
VIP also received a Community Engagement and Service Learning grant to gather
research about the current VIP program as well as graduates from the VIP program. The research will ascertain whether the services and programs we offer are serving the needs of the participant schools.
An initiative was to reach out to schools that have requested a VIP partnership. Therefore, we hosted visits for Aurora Central High School, the Denver Center for Science and Technology, as well as other schools with which we have existing partnerships. In addition, the program at Rishel Middle School was expanded, and a middle school program was initiated at the Denver Center for International Studies.
A VIP Advisory Board was established to assist VIP in its efforts to expand programmatically and to explore sources for additional scholarships. Members of the board include business, civic, and educational leaders.
The Office of Special Community Programs reaffirms its commitment to the VIP students and the program, and eagerly embraces nuances for change within the context of substantive expansion.
—Cathy Grieve
