Thousands of boys and girls have been a part of the BBF family over the years, and we are proud of their successes and the contributions they make to the agency and their communities. We invite all former “BBF kids” to reconnect with us and to share their social capital with the children and youth at BBF today.

• 96% of BBF scholar recipients graduate college within 5 years of entry
• 40 students are currently enrolled in college with the help of BBF’s Memorial Scholarship Foundation

 

Stories from Former Students

Jonathan Sanders
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient & After School Program Alumnus

BBF has provided me with skills that I am able to use in everyday life. Ever since I was a 5-year-old just coming into the program, the staff taught me social skills and about ethics and commitment to self and community. BBF has helped make me the man that I am today. Thanks to BBF, I am now attending East-West University and am an honors student.

Donald Anderson
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient & After School Program Alumnus

As a teen, BBF was like a second home to me. I spent a lot of time there, and I was given the opportunity to develop my leadership qualities. I started my own youth service group, and as president, I orchestrated fundraisers and was able to send money to help kids in Ethiopia. My experiences at BBF helped me become a responsible adult and led me to a successful career at Harpo Studios, where I have worked for the last 21 years.

Natasha Dyer
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient

I attended DePaul University, and I am proud to say that I did so as a BBF Scholar. I studied Communications with a concentration in Advertising. I served as Treasurer and Historian with the Alpha Phi Gamma sorority and was active with the Black Student Union and the DePaul chapter of the NAACP. I am so grateful for what BBF has done for me. My scholarship was truly been a blessing, and I am grateful every day.

Lynette Collins
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient

I attended Roosevelt University on a BBF Scholarship and then entered the graduate program in Clinical and Professional Psychology. My dream is to work with underprivileged children who might not otherwise have access to psychological services. This vision would have seemed far-fetched to me back when I was a high school student in North Lawndale. BBF makes things—important things—possible.

Alexander Pullen
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Being at Howard University is a dream come true for me. I am broadening my knowledge base with coursework in English, Algebra, Political Science, Psychology and Spanish, and I am widening my social network through the Andrew Rankin Historical Choir and the Phi Sigma Pi National Honors Fraternity. I ended my first semester with a 4.0 GPA. Thank you, BBF, for making my dream possible.

Andre Mitchell
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient

It seems like just yesterday that my parents dropped me off at my dorm room, anxious to begin my college experience. I have learned so much here—how to really be a good student, how to make the most of this environment, how to apply the knowledge and skills I have acquired, and how to build networks that will help me succeed. BBF helped me envision a future beyond my neighborhood, and I will never forget that.

Tatiana Mona Washington
BBF Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, BBF, for providing the funds for me to go to school. I am the first person in my family to go to college and because of you I can be a role model for my younger family members and for other children in North Lawndale. Thank you again for changing the course of my life and for empowering me to help other young people do the same.