Winston-Salem is the hardest city in which to escape child poverty in the United States.*
We’re here to do something about it.
Our Mission
We exist to champion equity in Winston-Salem by providing unmatched educational opportunities for the underserved children of our city.
Our Sponsors and Partners
The College Lift Initiative
The College Lift Initiative (CLI) is the flagship program of the Piedmont Renewal Network. Through CLI, students will complete a rigorous 7 year academic program designed to prepare them for acceptance and success at college or university. Beginning in 6th grade, students will attend Weekend Academy, a Saturday morning program designed to provide quality auxiliary instruction in Math, Science, and Language Arts. This program is designed to both raise their GPA, and prepare them to excel on the standardized tests so crucial for college acceptance. In addition, CLI scholars who fall below a 2.5 GPA will receive after school tutoring from qualified CLI volunteers. Because students are far more likely to succeed with consistent parental involvement, CLI’s Family Accompaniment program will facilitate a whole-family, wraparound support system for CLI scholars on their academic journeys. Seminars will be offered for the parents, grandparents, or guardians of CLI scholars on topics such as the creation of positive learning environments, equipping their student for academic success, and the college application process.
CLI scholars who complete the entire program and get accepted to local partner universities will be able to attend tuition free.
*Based off of data from a 2015 Harvard Study. For more information, see our “How Did We Get Here?” blog post.