THE BREAKTHROUGH CHALLENGE
In 2019, we announced The Breakthrough Challenge – a $10 million campaign to propel us toward a new North Star: to move the needle on educational equity by doubling the number of college graduates from Central Texas’s low-income communities.
Central Texas has the lowest college graduation rate in the state among students from under-resourced communities. We challenged the community to join us in changing that….and you accepted our challenge!
185 generous community members came together to invest more than $10.5 million in The Breakthrough Challenge campaign.
These funds are providing the launch capital to help Breakthrough achieve growth, scale programs, and build capacity for greater impact by 2023. In addition, a portion of this investment will establish The Promise Fund, an endowment to help ensure Breakthrough can always fulfill the 12-year promise we make to our students.
I ACCEPTED THE BREAKTHROUGH CHALLENGE BECAUSE…
In Texas we have the lowest graduation rate when we look at our economically disadvantaged students. We’re not doing what we ought to be doing, not just for our employers or our community, but for those people who need us so that we can help them to be all that they can be. I accept the Breakthrough Challenge.Sen.Kirk Watson
Texas Senator Kirk Watson, Honorary Co-Chair, The Breakthrough Challenge
Dorothy Vasquez
Dorothy Vasquez, Associate Director of Programs, Breakthrough Central Texas
Breakthrough is a 12-year commitment. We are committing to the families and they are committing to us. We walk side by side with the families from sixth grade until our students cross the graduation stage. I think it is an incredible, sustainable relationship that we initiate that gets students through college graduation.
Gary Farmer
Gary Farmer, Honorary Co-Chair, The Breakthrough Challenge
Accepting the Breakthrough Challenge means that I have an opportunity to participate in the success of students in central Texas. It means that I have an opportunity to reinvest in this community of students, to look forward to changing the trajectory of a generation of students. We the community will see the return of this investment for many years to come. I challenge you to support Breakthrough Central Texas.
Yasmine Smith
Yasmine Smith, Breakthrough Central Texas Graduate
As a 12-year-old student I had the dream of being a lawyer and being the first one in my family to go to college. However, I was told by those around me, specifically adults, that I should aim lower. So, when Breakthrough came into my life, it was a family, an organization that really supported me in my dream. They said, ‘You can do anything you put your mind to and we will help you along the way.’ Others should support Breakthrough and accept the Breakthrough Challenge because this is how we are going to change the world.
Michael Griffith
Michael Griffith, Executive Director, Breakthrough Central Texas
The Breakthrough Challenge is a call to action for our community of supporters to take a leadership role in central Texas and to help thousands more students to find success and realize their dreams of becoming first-generation college graduates. With the Breakthrough Challenge, we are going to take a quantum leap forward as an organization on behalf of central Texas young people. Our north star is to double the number of first-generation college graduates who earn a college degree each year.
Special thanks to our Matching Donors:
Carolyn and Jack Long, Luci Baines Johnson & Family, Anonymous
STEERING COMMITTEE
Co-Chairs
Christie Bybee
Walt Penn
Jessica Slade, Breakthrough Founder
Honorary Co-Chairs
Gary Farmer
Senator Kirk Watson
Hannah Temple
Ted Whatley
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Mayor Steve Adler
Barry Aidman
Malia & Steve Aycock
Cyndi Bock
Amber Carden
Taylor Ellison
Rosalind George
Dr. Timothy George
Staley & Jack Gray
Ricky D. Green
Carolyn & Jack Long
Diana & Gregg Lowe
Susan Lubin
Richard Marcus
Lynn Meredith
Lucy Nazro
Tiffany Nels
Karey & Chris Oddo
Virginia Potter
Jackie & Eric Price
Louise & Sergio Rodriguez
Laurel & Dudley Simmons
Richard Topfer
Christa Tuttle
Tito Vidaurri
Neil Webber
ALUMNI COUNCIL
Karen Arredondo
Carlos Alpuche
Ricardo Apanco Sarabia
Ariel Barrera
Tiara Clayton
Joe Cruz
Veronica Donley
Jose Garibay-Medrano
Robert Grace
Alexandra (Allie) Kleinberg
Huy Nguyen
Giovanna Perez
Gloria Perez
Marissa Peña
Javier Ramirez
Joseph Ramirez
Daniel A. Reyes
Jeniffer Saucedo
Jasmin Vara
Amely Vela
THANK YOU TO OUR INVESTORS
Gary Keller and Mary Pfluger | Carolyn and Jack Long
Cheryl and Walt Penn | Neil Webber
Tejemos Foundation
Hannah Temple, Christopher Sanders, T.L.L. Temple Foundation
Anonymous • Dick Clark III Foundation • Luci Baines Johnson and Family • Diana and Gregg Lowe
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation • Fran and George Ramsey • The Smalling Family
Webber Family Foundation • Mary Garwood Yancy and Howard Yancy
Aileen and Mike Aviles • Don and Lenee Bennett • Clinton and Christie Bybee • Susan and Gary Farmer
Love, Tito’s • Lowe Foundation • Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo Margain • Anonymous
Wm. Travis Penn and John B. Wicher • Stephen M. Seay Foundation • Winkler Family Foundation
Jeanette and Ernest Auerbach • The Bock Foundation • Anonymous • Andrea and Dan Ellinor
Kelly and Scott Ferguson • Rosalind Jones George • Staley and Jack Gray • Ricky D. Green
Susan and Chris Mack • MFI Foundation • Nelson Puett Foundation • Anonymous
David and Josette Bahler • Bridger Family Fund • The Clayton Fund • Janet and David Cooper
Peter and Brooke Freeland • Jordan and Katie Jaffe • Carrie and Jeffrey McDowell
Jamie and Ruth Pennebaker • Jackie and Eric Price • Brian Roberts and Sarah Mead • Judy and Hector Ruiz
Anne and Cord Shiflet • Steve Shook • Laurel and Dudley Simmons • Jessica Slade • Ellen C. Temple
Robert and Christa Tuttle • Melba and Ted Whatley • Leslie and David Wolff
Kate and Scott Abel • Austin and J’Lynn Bartlett • Lynne Rupp and Doug Brothers • Kristina and Carlos Flores
Eva Garza-Nyer and Adam Nyer • Anonymous • Diana and Sean Greenberg Family • Dr. Harry and Idona Griffith
Chris Hester Cary and Brad Johl • Matthew and Tamara Ketterman • Lindsay Maki and Tom McWalters
Susan and Richard Marcus • McDowell Foundation • Laurée Moffett • Anna and Jason Near • Michael and Tiffany Nels
Valerie and Jeff Newberg • NI • Anonymous • Peggy O’Shaughnessy • Sergio and Louise Rodriguez • Bryan Rollins
The Shepherd 5 Points Family Foundation • Maya and Shaka Smart • Missy and Todd Smith • Charlotte A. Smith
Sugar Creek Foundation • Neal and Beth Sutton • Ingrid and James Taylor • Dr. Denise Villa and Jason Dorsey
Susan Wallar • Liz and Senator Kirk Watson • Kristen and Patrick Worrall
Karen and Barry Aidman • Lee and Anissa Allbritton • Paula Angerstein and Paul Grosso • Kendall and John Antonelli
Randy and Lynn Atchison • Gene and Sharlene Austin • Susan and Charlie Avant • Malia and Steve Aycock
Pamela Chandler and Patrick Ousey • Allison and Marc Chavez • The Cline Family • Craig and Ann Conrad • Christina R. Corona
Mark and Ge Crozier • MC and Scott Deskins Jr. • Jill and Mark Dewey • Kimberly and Timothy Dowling • Jon Driscoll
Munira Fareed and Suaad Sait • Favaron Family • Jacquetta and Lowell Feldman • Anonymous • Julie Fisher
Sherrie and Dr. Robert Frachtman • Mohit and Aparna Goyal • Natalie and James Gray • Carrie and Michael Griffith
Andrea Guengerich and Elizabeth Stephens • Robyn and Rob Hargrove • Grace Holland • Jack Humphrey and Allison Cook
Willemijn and Kevin Ilcisin • Leslie and David Jaffe • Kerry and Temp Keller • Cathleen King Naumann • Andrew Lack • Ellen and David Lake
Jack and Jill Lasersohn • Susan and Craig Lubin • Stephanie Humphreys and Kevin Lucas • Sarah and Bennett Maddox
Clayton and Andrew Maebius • Daniel and Lori Mannion • David and Fredericka Middleton • Melissa Muckenthaler • Lucy C. Nazro
Heather and Jack Nelson • Linda and Paul Parrish • Shannon and Chris Peifer • Clayton Penn • Evelyn Penn • Holden Penn • Hudson Penn
Brandi and Jeff Pinsker • Dan and Linda Poole • Eileen and Stephen Portner • Susanne Pringle and Dan Rodney
Dennis Quinn and Joan Cheever • Michael Ramirez and Kaitlin DeBarros • Logan Reichle • Gretchen and Daniel Scardino
Esteban Serrano • Nina Shuvalov • Clayton and Gaby Smith • Christen and Steven Steen • Dulce and Mike Stenglein
Margot and Grant Thomas • Jasmin Vara • Susan Vaughan Foundation • Larry and Susan Westall • Holly Wissmann and Fabian Martinez
Tammy and Edwin Young • Jacqueline Olson and Minkun Zhang
Carlos Alpuche Caceres • James Carter • Ted Chauviere • Katie and Steve Felice • Alexandra and Merritt Beck & Amanda M. Beck Foster
Rey Garcia • Cheryl and Jim George • Richard and Virginia Gorelick • Laurie and Dirk Gosda • Michele Grieshaber and Michael Klug
Herndon Family Foundation • Janice L. Kolbe • Debbie and Chris Pacitti • Joseph Ramirez • Jené Shepherd • Eleanor Siff • Donnie Spier
Robert and Leslie Suffoletta • Melodie and Bob Summersett • Tere and Tito Vidaurri • Suzanne and Marc Winkelman • Lisa Womack