PHILOSOPHY : The Philosophy of The 11-10-02 Foundation, a nonprofit 501c3 organization, is to use negative situations as an excuse to create positive outcomes that change the world around us... to do it now rather than later...and to believe that young people are as capable as anyone to Do it.
GOAL: The Goal of The 11-10-02 Foundation is to make a genuine impact in each endeavor we undertake, and in the process, to set an example not only for the students we help but for people of all ages who witness our efforts...and to inspire those people to make their own goals and strive for them now rather than later.
MISSION: The Mission of The 11-10-02 Foundation is to break down racial, cultural, social and generational barriers and stereotypes while also funding grants and scholarships for students who need the financial assistance and who have demonstrated a degree of character, level of maturity and sense of work ethic that strongly suggests they will seize the opportunity if it is given to them. The Foundation has pursued this Mission through its BrunchBunch.com Mentoring Program and through its distribution of Grants & Scholarships.
.MENTORING PROGRAM: The BrunchBunch.com Program was created in March 1997. When The 11-10-02 Foundation was created in July 1998, it began overseeing the program. BrunchBunch.com was created with the hope of bringing people together of different races, cultures and backgrounds over brunch and an activity (typically basketball or a visit to a local facility for seniors). For the first 243 weeks, the program convened every weekend and involved more than 700 students and adults. Now that most of the students involved are in college, the group no longer meets every week -- reuniting when the occasion calls for it.
Grants & Scholarships: The 11-10-02 Foundation also gives out grants and scholarships. The grants and scholarships are given to support selected students and the schools which they attend. The financial grants and scholarships have ranged from $25 to $5,000 apiece. The Grants and Scholarships for individual students are typically awarded based on criteria such as achievement, attendance, work ethic, leadership, perseverance, overcoming obstacles, dealing with rejecton, and their treatment of teachers and staff. The Grants for the schools are earmarked for educational needs such as books, computers or supplies. There is no way for a student to apply independently for an 11-10-02 Foundation Grant or Scholarship. The 11-10-02 Foundation has provided Grants & Scholarships to assist students studying a wide variety of meaningful pursuits - ranging from Medicine to Music, Civil Rights Law to Writing & Literature. 11-10-02 has assisted an extensive number of students and schools in its home state (Illinois) as well as a wide variety of students and schools in other parts of the country. Click on Around America to get a sense of 11-10-02's efforts.
