Say Yes changes name, expands services
Jul. 21—GUILFORD COUNTY — A local nonprofit that has been providing financial help and support services for college for some Guilford County Schools students has changed its name and its operating plans.
Say Yes Guilford announced Thursday it has changed its name to shift_ed, and it announced a new mission, vision and values more broadly addressing accelerating student potential " to transform our community through diverse educational and workforce pathways."
It said shift_ed will continue to provide services including tutoring, career exploration, college preparation, financial aid assistance and scholarships, and it is increasing services to families with the most need, including:
—Expanding the Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies, or HELPS, tutoring program to every Title 1 elementary school.
—Giving every middle school access to the YouScience Aptitude and Career Discovery tool.
—Providing a Mobile Innovation Lab that will roll out for the first time this fall.
—Introducing new programming to support students who will be the first in their family to go to college.
The changes resulted from a study of the nonprofit's future that began last year, shift_ed President and CEO Wendy Poteat said in a press release.
"We want our students to know and believe that anything is possible," Poteat said. "We are leaning into the innovation we put into play during the pandemic and boldly collaborating in ways that are imperative for our students' success."
