Wheeling youth agency wins $204,000 United Way grant

A youth organization operating centers for middle and high school students in Arlington Heights and Wheeling will receive $204,000 toward its cause through United Way of Chicago.

The funding will help Greater Wheeling Area Youth Outreach, which currently works with 52 students from low-income families through a mentoring formula that includes after-school homework help followed by games and recreation, restart programs lost to recent spending cuts.

“Middle schools are the most difficult to get funding for,” said Philip Herman, the organization’s founder and executive director. “In our 10 years it’s always been the biggest struggle. I think it’s the most strategic plan the United Way could make.

“When a student walks into high school behind his or her class, the choices are limited,” Herman added. “The more you can get them caught up on grade level, the more fully they’ll be ready for college. What United Way found out was the ninth grade is a huge predictor of who finishes high school.”

Students participating in the GWAYO come from four middle schools: Wheeling Township Elementary District 21’s Holmes and London middle schools in Wheeling; Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59’s Grove Middle School in Elk Grove Village; and River Trails Elementary District 26’s River Trails Middle School in Mount Prospect.

The high schools GWAYO works with are Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove, Hersey and Wheeling. The organization operates out of the Wheeling Park District Community Center, 333 W. Dundee Road, and a converted commercial space at 646 S. Arthur Ave. in Arlington Heights.

The United Way is investing $5.3 million this year in middle school programs and $4 million in early childhood development, part of the agency’s effort to help 50,000 more Chicago region youngsters graduate from high school by 2020. “GWAYO is a good ally with United Way because they want students to graduate high school and be on track for college,” said Marcia McMahon, chief professional officer at Northwest Suburban United Way. “We think that is very important. In many families this will be the first person to graduate and go on to college.”

About 22 percent of students in the area are low-income, according to a report by the Northwest Suburban United Way.

High school students working with GWAYO can use computers to practice with special projects from the ACT testing service so they can do better on the ACT college entrance exam.

The new United Way money will allow the organization to bring back and expand programs lost to financial cutbacks and Herman hopes to show what GWAYO can accomplish and attract more dollars to further grow it programs. He also is seeking volunteers to mentor the students.

Of 77 students who have both graduated high school and stayed in the GWAYO program, 17 have since graduated from college and 46 are still working on their bachelor’s degrees, Herman said.

Other groups to receive United Way funding include the Boys and Girls Club working with students in Community Unit District 300 in Carpentersville; a program with families of very young children through FIND PI from Palatine Opportunity Center; Children’s Home & Aid in Carpentersville and the Rolling Meadows and Palatine area; and Buehler YMCA in Palatine.