Thank YOU from icouldbe.org

As we head into Thanksgiving weekend, we thought it would be the perfect time to share what we are thankful for – and we are so thankful for you! We could not do what we do without the support we receive all across the board and we think it is a great time to thank the groups that make icouldbe.org such a success. Thank you to our…

Mentors, for taking the time out of your schedules to mentor and mold the minds of the future workforce.

Mentees, for being so eager to learn, ask questions, and grow with icouldbe.org.

Teachers, for bringing us into your classrooms and providing us with the opportunity to guide your students.

Corporate partners, for choosing to support icouldbe.org and for providing us with mentors from your staff.

Board members, for your guidance and advice as we continue to grow as an organization.

Staff, for going above and beyond every day and making icouldbe.org the best it can be.

A big thank you and happy holidays from all of us at icouldbe.org!

Photo credit: Paul Downey on Flickr’s Creative Commons

icouldbe.org Mentees Participate in Youth, I.N.C.’s Trading Day for Kids

This year, icouldbe.org partnered with Youth, I.N.C. (Improving Nonprofits for Children) for their annual Trading Day for Kids. Youth, I.N.C., a NYC-based organization, engages with the city’s brightest minds and leaders and connects them to grassroots organizations, like icouldbe.org, that deliver opportunities to our most vulnerable children. On October 25^th, Youth, I.N.C.’s business partner, Canaccord Genuity,  pledged to donate 100% of the day’s commission proceeds to Youth, I.N.C. and its non-profit network. Not only did the event raise $950,000, but top executives from Canaccord Genuity sat down to discuss financial careers with student participants.

In addition to Trading Day for Kids, which took place on October 25, Canaccord Genuity also hosted a “Mentor Day” on Tuesday, October 23. Thirty high school students, including five icouldbe.org mentees, spent the day at the firm learning about the financial services industry. Students had the opportunity to sit down with a panel of representatives from different divisions within the company as well as senior executives from the firm. This format enabled students to engage in thoughtful conversation with the firm’s professionals and also provided a snapshot of a career in finance and what the company’s day-to-day activities looked like.

The students were given some topics to think about in the days leading up to the event, which led to thought provoking conversation between the students and the company’s financial professionals. Topics discussed included:

• Stocks the students thought had value and why
• The US economy and where it is headed
• The 2012 Presidential election
• 2013 stock market predictions

Trading Day raised over $950,000 for grassroots non-profit organizations in NYC, but beyond that it provided a once in a lifetime experience for our mentees. We are proud to have partnered with such a great organization that does so much good in our city.

Oh, and did we mention that our mentees got to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ at the end of Trading Day? All in all, we all had an unforgettable experience.