The Stratton Foundation brings together community partners and stakeholders to create, support, deploy and enhance critical services while aligning in philanthropic mission to address the challenges of poverty that stand between a child in need, and the opportunity to thrive and succeed. Together, we will break the cycle of generational poverty.
The Stratton Mountain Resort makes an incredible contribution to the Stratton Foundation every year, in resources, marketing, and manpower, as well as helps to build and strengthen partnerships through their powerful brand, giving back to the Stratton Mountain and Valley Community to help Vermont children & families.
Thank you Stratton.
Through the generosity of the Charles S. & Millicent P. Brown Family Foundation, the Stratton Foundation offers a unique Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) Scholarship opportunity as a powerful engine to facilitate the mindset shift out of poverty. At-risk teens create a plan, mapping a new vision for the future and steps necessary to reach a desired goal, such as completing an internship, a college course, or a special training; things that go beyond their family’s financial reach or seen as an insurmountable obstacle, but critical in turning vision into action. Through these experiences, teens will realize they can overcome challenges, rise above poverty, value education and themselves as their greatest asset, and be empowered to succeed.
Since 2019, the Brown Family awarded a $36,000 grant to support a new Stratton Foundation HS to MS Youth Mentorship Program, building cross-age friendships for positive development, especially high impact social and emotional learning. The Mentorship bridges high-school Success Scholars to younger children to make a connection and spark a new desire to thrive and succeed.
Trustees: Charlie Brown, Rob Brown, Keith Brown Dubois, pictured with founding trustee, Dr. Charles S. Brown. Since 2016, the Brown Family has partnered in the mission to break the cycle of generational poverty through innovative initiatives in education. Since 2016 awarding over $115,000 to the Stratton Foundation.
Since 2014, Mr. Todd Richter has generously gifted $41,000 in first-generation scholarships to local high school seniors who are the first in their family to attend college. In fact, our local high schools still witness seniors who are the first in their family to graduate high school, often needing to work to contribute to the family’s economic situation or without encouragement and resources to realize their full potential. Through an application process, teens who recognize the value of further education as life-changing and demonstrate financial need are considered as a recipient through the Todd Richter First-Generation Endowment Fund.
“I am really proud to support the first-generation scholarship program because it helps make a difference in young people’s lives. It means a great deal to me to know that I am helping to make the transition into college easier for kids who don’t have other resources to get there. I have been supporting kids through the Stratton Foundation for the past seven years, and I plan to expand the program every year, to keep it growing, so that more and more kids in the area
can get the education they need to succeed.” - Mr. Todd Richter (2020)
In 2021, the Wheeler Foundation launched a “First in Family Scholarship” for a graduating senior who is the first in family to pursue a post-secondary education and has demonstrated excellent academic performance in high-school. The scholarship is a potential two-year award for 2-year, 4-year or technical/trade school.
Thank you to Sandy & William Wheeler for their unyielding support and generosity!
The William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation is a private family foundation that exists to engage all generations of O’Neill family members through philanthropy. The Foundation is committed to strengthening families and improving communities in which O’Neill family members live and are engaged in the work of the Foundation.
www.oneill-foundation.org
The O’Neill Foundation supports the Stratton Foundation’s efforts to extend the Burr & Burton Academy High-School Success Program to the younger grades across the Taconic & Green Supervisory Union footprint. Together, the program has great leadership, cohesiveness, creativity, and promise. The O’Neill Foundation is also a major supporter of the Stratton Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund for Vermonters.
The Stratton Foundation and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Vermont have joined in partnership to create a one-to-one peer-mentoring program between high school students and elementary-middle school youth. COVID-19 has caused a wide variety of social and emotional challenges that promise to disrupt education well after the pandemic has ended. Schools have also identified an ongoing organic problem, where children who transfer from elementary to middle to high-school lack a support system, worsening the difficulties of anxiety, insecurity, and isolation.
As a leading youth mentoring organization, BB BS is uniquely poised to empower, engage and connect teen mentors with youth mentees through a proactive best-practice school-based curriculum; and as the local organization embedded in the community, the Stratton Foundation is proud to orchestrate the program between schools to build meaningful relationships with a strong commitment to mental health and academic success.
In partnership with the Burr & Burton Academy, the Stratton Foundation supports the Student Success Program, targeting at-risk teens who aspire to be first-generation college graduates, or who are not yet fulfilling their potential. Since the program's launch in 2013, more than 100 teens have experienced the Student Success Program that provides an intensive focus on mentoring, relationship building, and visioning so students learn to see and seize opportunities made possible through education. Beginning with a summer Success Camp, work continues through the school year with an emphasis on keeping sight of goals, developing habits and skills that lead to success, and recognizing that personal growth comes through the constant pursuit of excellence. This partnership puts us all at the forefront in the fight for the future of our young people, so that our young people become educational groundbreakers in their families, breaking the cycle of generational poverty.
Thank you Burr & Burton.
Newman’s Own Foundation, working to nourish the common good by donating all profits from Newman’s Own food and beverage products to charitable organizations that seek to make the world a better place. More information is available at Newmansownfoundation.org.
Thank you Newman’s Own Foundation for the grants that allow us to care for the children and families across southern Vermont as they struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vermont Magazine, Stratton Magazine and the Vermont News Guide support the Stratton Foundation’s mission by spreading the news of our events and impact through their impressive marketing power and online and subscriber network.
