Dear Friends of Breakthrough, 

As the Chief Student Support Officer at Breakthrough, I’ve had the immense fortune to engage with students for 11 years, celebrating successes, meeting families, and responding to needs. Breakthrough has always provided support to students beyond the classroom, but the number of students and families in crisis has multiplied since March 2020. The unsteadiness of our time has impacted those with the fewest resources most.

This holiday season, we need your support to raise $300,000, directly impacting students with urgent needs. In an already unequal economy, many families have exhausted their savings and are stretching in ways they never have before, making hard choices about which bills to pay, how much rent they can afford, and what they have to eat. The effects at home trickle down to our students, impacting well-being and academic achievement. In many cases, college persistence is at stake.

This year marks 20 years of service at Breakthrough Central Texas. As we celebrate 270 college graduates and counting, along with other milestones achieved, we also advocate for:

The student stopping out of college to work a third job, supporting his family.
The student struggling to cover bus fares en route to her internship.
The student seeking mental health counseling after the loss of a parent.
The student on the verge of homelessness, threatened by an eviction.
…and many others.

Your contribution directly impacts students in situations like these, providing temporary relief as they continue on their journey to and through a postsecondary program of their choosing. Will you consider a gift this holiday season to help Breakthrough students and families stay housed, fed, healthy and enrolled in school?

We are proud of our students’ accomplishments in the face of extraordinary challenges. They deserve access to resources and support while on the path to college graduation.

Your involvement as a Breakthrough supporter this year has already helped propel our work forward and ignite student success.

As we approach the new year, thank you for considering a contribution of any amount to make a tangible, immediate difference in students’ opportunity to succeed.

Gratefully,
Zakiyyah Kareem
Chief Student Support Officer

DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT

Thanks to the generosity of Carolyn and Jack Long and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, every donation to the Student and Family Support Fund will be matched dollar for dollar up to $150,000, meaning your gift makes double the impact on Central Texas students when you give early.