Press Release
For Immediate Release
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out For Change®
202-857-8384 · cell 202-714-8955 · [email protected]
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out For Change®
202-857-8384 · cell 202-714-8955 · [email protected]
All Out for Change® joins with United Way for Do More 24 on May 15, 2024
All Out For Change® celebrates the new Do More 24 partnership with United Way.
Donations assist recent DC public high school graduates with college expenses.
All Out For Change® celebrates the new Do More 24 partnership with United Way.
Donations assist recent DC public high school graduates with college expenses.
May 9, 2024 – All Out For Change® is, for the first time, joining other nonprofit partners and community members in the United Way of the National Capital Area’s 12th annual Do More 24 on May 15, 2024. Do More 24 is 24-hours of giving designed to empower everyone to give back to the community and build awareness and support for nonprofits in the region.
MaryAnn Puglisi, founder of All Out For Change®, announced the organization’s participation in Do More 24 by saying, “We see a strong fit between our mission and that of the United Way of the National Capital Area, which is committed to education and economic opportunity for every person in our community, regardless of race, gender, income, and ability. Through Do More 24 we hope to reach and enable more individuals and organizations to invest in the success of the student scholars we support.”
All Out For Change® (AOFC) was founded in 2017 on the belief that all youth regardless of family wealth deserve a fair opportunity to pursue and achieve their dreams: Degrees, professions, and upward mobility. Since then, AOFC® has assisted more than 150 students with college financial support through its Supplemental Scholarship Awards Program. Donations enable AOFC®, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to provide students with laptops, and help with college expenses such as textbooks, local transportation and travel, dorm and school supplies, food, and housing.
In 2023 AOFC also launched its Tuition Gap Opportunity Fund to help students who are struggling to cover gaps in their financial aid. Said Puglisi, “The need for tuition assistance among the students we support has been growing rapidly. Some students are at risk of being unable to enroll and continue their education. Others are incurring significant debt. Our first Tuition Gap Opportunity awardee was working 30 hours a week at Chipotle to make ends meet. Thanks to AOFC’s generous donors, we were able to cover a tuition gap that allowed this student to quit his job and focus fully on pursuing his degree in Politics at Catholic University with the goal of a future career in the Foreign Service.”
All Out For Change® works in close partnership with DC International School (DCI) the city’s only advanced International Baccalaureate “for-all”, which serves 6th-12th grades. DCI Executive Director, Michael Rosskamm said, “We are incredibly fortunate to have All Out for Change® as a strong and committed partner. We are confident that our graduating seniors are well-prepared to take on the academic challenges of college and succeed. But as college costs skyrocket, the financial obstacles students and their families face can be daunting and sometimes insurmountable. AOFC’s support has been critical for students facing gaps in their financial aid packages and reducing the debt burden on students and their families.”
Funds raised through Do More 24 will go directly towards Supplemental Scholarship and Tuition Gap Opportunity Awards for 25 members of the DCI 2024 graduating class.
MaryAnn Puglisi, founder of All Out For Change®, announced the organization’s participation in Do More 24 by saying, “We see a strong fit between our mission and that of the United Way of the National Capital Area, which is committed to education and economic opportunity for every person in our community, regardless of race, gender, income, and ability. Through Do More 24 we hope to reach and enable more individuals and organizations to invest in the success of the student scholars we support.”
All Out For Change® (AOFC) was founded in 2017 on the belief that all youth regardless of family wealth deserve a fair opportunity to pursue and achieve their dreams: Degrees, professions, and upward mobility. Since then, AOFC® has assisted more than 150 students with college financial support through its Supplemental Scholarship Awards Program. Donations enable AOFC®, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to provide students with laptops, and help with college expenses such as textbooks, local transportation and travel, dorm and school supplies, food, and housing.
In 2023 AOFC also launched its Tuition Gap Opportunity Fund to help students who are struggling to cover gaps in their financial aid. Said Puglisi, “The need for tuition assistance among the students we support has been growing rapidly. Some students are at risk of being unable to enroll and continue their education. Others are incurring significant debt. Our first Tuition Gap Opportunity awardee was working 30 hours a week at Chipotle to make ends meet. Thanks to AOFC’s generous donors, we were able to cover a tuition gap that allowed this student to quit his job and focus fully on pursuing his degree in Politics at Catholic University with the goal of a future career in the Foreign Service.”
All Out For Change® works in close partnership with DC International School (DCI) the city’s only advanced International Baccalaureate “for-all”, which serves 6th-12th grades. DCI Executive Director, Michael Rosskamm said, “We are incredibly fortunate to have All Out for Change® as a strong and committed partner. We are confident that our graduating seniors are well-prepared to take on the academic challenges of college and succeed. But as college costs skyrocket, the financial obstacles students and their families face can be daunting and sometimes insurmountable. AOFC’s support has been critical for students facing gaps in their financial aid packages and reducing the debt burden on students and their families.”
Funds raised through Do More 24 will go directly towards Supplemental Scholarship and Tuition Gap Opportunity Awards for 25 members of the DCI 2024 graduating class.
Press Release
For Immediate Release
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out For Change®
202-857-8384 · cell 202-714-8955 · [email protected]
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out For Change®
202-857-8384 · cell 202-714-8955 · [email protected]
All Out for Change® to honor DC public education leader, Mary Shaffner, Founding Executive Director of
DC International School (DCI), with Award for Excellence in Education on August 18, 2022
Program to feature performance by Duke Ellington School graduate, Anthony D. Anderson, and discussion with college-bound scholarship recipients about their achievements and economic obstacles.
Proceeds will benefit DCI graduates.
DC International School (DCI), with Award for Excellence in Education on August 18, 2022
Program to feature performance by Duke Ellington School graduate, Anthony D. Anderson, and discussion with college-bound scholarship recipients about their achievements and economic obstacles.
Proceeds will benefit DCI graduates.
Washington, DC, July 21, 2022 -- On August 18, 2022, All Out for Change® (AOFC), a Washington, DC non-profit, will host its inaugural Celebration of Achievements. The event will pay tribute to education leader Mary Shaffner for her contributions to excellence in education; raise funds for the AOFC Supplemental Scholarship Program; and draw attention to financial challenges facing even the most gifted college scholarship recipients from DC public schools. The event, which will also feature a performance by renowned opera student and AOFC award recipient, Anthony D. Anderson, will take place at the Maret School, 3000 Cathedral Ave, NW, DC from 5-8:30pm (see attached program for more information and list of sponsors). Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting 34 recent DC International School graduates who will begin studies this fall at institutions such as Virginia Tech, Colorado State University, and Boston College.
Mary Shaffner is the Founding Executive Director of District of Columbia International School (DCI). She led the effort to build the Tier 1 public charter school, the city’s only advanced International Baccalaureate “for-all”, which serves 6th-12th grades. Located on the former Walter Reed Campus in Northwest Washington, DC, DCI was created by the five DC language immersion elementary schools to establish a feeder pattern for public charter schools; it maintains a graduation rate of 99%, and a 93% college acceptance rate.
Ms. Shaffner has more than 25 years of experience in both the nonprofit and private sectors and holds MBA and BA degrees from George Washington University. She has called Washington, DC, home for thirty years. Prior to opening DCI, Ms. Shaffner was the Founding Executive Director of Washington Yu Ying, the Chinese immersion elementary charter school in DC. Nearly half of public school students in the District attend charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated. Dual language schools such as DCI and Yu Ying are in high demand with lengthy wait lists of prospective students.
Anthony D. Anderson is a Washington DC native and an aspiring African American baritone soloist. He is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory. He has participated in numerous nationwide opera competitions; has been recognized by The Washington Post, the Today Show, and NBC News; and was the inaugural Young Artist of Color for Cantate, a premier choral organization in the DC area. Mr. Anderson, who has received several Supplemental Scholarship awards, was All Out for Change’s first grant recipient in 2017. He will begin graduate studies this fall at the University of Maryland, Maryland Opera Studio following his participation this summer in the highly regarded Apprentice Artist Program of the Des Moines Metro Opera. He will be accompanied by his coach and mentor, Michael Crabill.
All Out for Change® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2017 by Washington, DC native, MaryAnn Puglisi. Building on more than 25 years of marketing, communications and project management experience, Puglisi launched AOFC to help ambitious public high school graduates overcome financial hurdles and pursue their potential. Since 2017 AOFC has assisted more than 150 students from Washington, DC schools with financial support through its Supplemental Scholarship Awards that benefit economically disadvantaged college-bound students with laptops, textbooks, transportation costs and other college related essentials. AOFC will be presenting Mary Shaffner with its first ever Angelo and Melvena Puglisi Award for Excellence in Education, in honor of MaryAnn’s parents who were deeply committed to academic achievement, education, and helping others during their lifetimes.
Mary Shaffner is the Founding Executive Director of District of Columbia International School (DCI). She led the effort to build the Tier 1 public charter school, the city’s only advanced International Baccalaureate “for-all”, which serves 6th-12th grades. Located on the former Walter Reed Campus in Northwest Washington, DC, DCI was created by the five DC language immersion elementary schools to establish a feeder pattern for public charter schools; it maintains a graduation rate of 99%, and a 93% college acceptance rate.
Ms. Shaffner has more than 25 years of experience in both the nonprofit and private sectors and holds MBA and BA degrees from George Washington University. She has called Washington, DC, home for thirty years. Prior to opening DCI, Ms. Shaffner was the Founding Executive Director of Washington Yu Ying, the Chinese immersion elementary charter school in DC. Nearly half of public school students in the District attend charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated. Dual language schools such as DCI and Yu Ying are in high demand with lengthy wait lists of prospective students.
Anthony D. Anderson is a Washington DC native and an aspiring African American baritone soloist. He is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory. He has participated in numerous nationwide opera competitions; has been recognized by The Washington Post, the Today Show, and NBC News; and was the inaugural Young Artist of Color for Cantate, a premier choral organization in the DC area. Mr. Anderson, who has received several Supplemental Scholarship awards, was All Out for Change’s first grant recipient in 2017. He will begin graduate studies this fall at the University of Maryland, Maryland Opera Studio following his participation this summer in the highly regarded Apprentice Artist Program of the Des Moines Metro Opera. He will be accompanied by his coach and mentor, Michael Crabill.
All Out for Change® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2017 by Washington, DC native, MaryAnn Puglisi. Building on more than 25 years of marketing, communications and project management experience, Puglisi launched AOFC to help ambitious public high school graduates overcome financial hurdles and pursue their potential. Since 2017 AOFC has assisted more than 150 students from Washington, DC schools with financial support through its Supplemental Scholarship Awards that benefit economically disadvantaged college-bound students with laptops, textbooks, transportation costs and other college related essentials. AOFC will be presenting Mary Shaffner with its first ever Angelo and Melvena Puglisi Award for Excellence in Education, in honor of MaryAnn’s parents who were deeply committed to academic achievement, education, and helping others during their lifetimes.
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out For Change®
202-857-8384 · cell 202-714-8955 · [email protected]
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out For Change®
202-857-8384 · cell 202-714-8955 · [email protected]
All Out for Change® to Celebrate
Educational Leadership and Achievements
at Inaugural Awards Event on August 18, 2022
Educational Leadership and Achievements
at Inaugural Awards Event on August 18, 2022
Washington, DC, July 5, 2022 – All Out for Change® (AOFC) presents its inaugural Celebration of Achievements in Washington, DC on August 18, 2022 honoring Mary Shaffner, founder of DC International School, a public charter school, for her contributions to excellence in education. The event will also feature a musical performance by renowned Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate, Anthony D. Anderson, and a discussion with recipients of AOFC Supplemental Scholarship Awards.
All Out for Change® is proud to bring this evening of music and celebration to the Maret School in Washington, DC. In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of Ms. Shaffner and high-achieving public high school graduates, AOFC will also highlight financial challenges facing economically disadvantaged students as they embark on their post-secondary education. AOFC Supplemental Scholarship Fund proceeds from this event benefit DC International School graduates who have received full or partial scholarships to institutions such as Virginia Tech, Colorado State University, and Boston College but still have unmet financial needs including tuition gaps and a variety of college-related expenses.
When: August 18, 2022, 5:00pm-8:00pm
Where: Maret School Theatre, 3000 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Program:
• Award for Excellence in Education presentation to Mary Schaffner, Founding Executive Director
of DC International School (DCI), a public charter school serving a diverse student body of
middle and high school students at the Parks on Walter Reed. DCI is the city’s only advanced
International Baccalaureate for-all, advanced language public school.
• Performance by Baritone Anthony D. Anderson and accompanist Michael Crabill. Anderson, a
Washington, DC native, is an AOFC Supplemental Scholarship recipient, and a graduate of Duke
Ellington School of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory. He currently performs with the Apprentice
Artist Program of the Des Moines Metro Opera.
• Interactive discussion with student scholars about the financial challenges facing college
scholarship recipients from DC public schools and the impact of AOFC support.
• Pre- and post-program reception with music, food and beverages featuring Sol Roots Band.
All Out for Change® is proud to bring this evening of music and celebration to the Maret School in Washington, DC. In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of Ms. Shaffner and high-achieving public high school graduates, AOFC will also highlight financial challenges facing economically disadvantaged students as they embark on their post-secondary education. AOFC Supplemental Scholarship Fund proceeds from this event benefit DC International School graduates who have received full or partial scholarships to institutions such as Virginia Tech, Colorado State University, and Boston College but still have unmet financial needs including tuition gaps and a variety of college-related expenses.
When: August 18, 2022, 5:00pm-8:00pm
Where: Maret School Theatre, 3000 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Program:
• Award for Excellence in Education presentation to Mary Schaffner, Founding Executive Director
of DC International School (DCI), a public charter school serving a diverse student body of
middle and high school students at the Parks on Walter Reed. DCI is the city’s only advanced
International Baccalaureate for-all, advanced language public school.
• Performance by Baritone Anthony D. Anderson and accompanist Michael Crabill. Anderson, a
Washington, DC native, is an AOFC Supplemental Scholarship recipient, and a graduate of Duke
Ellington School of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory. He currently performs with the Apprentice
Artist Program of the Des Moines Metro Opera.
• Interactive discussion with student scholars about the financial challenges facing college
scholarship recipients from DC public schools and the impact of AOFC support.
• Pre- and post-program reception with music, food and beverages featuring Sol Roots Band.
More information:
TICKETS SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES OTHER DONATION OPTIONS
TEXT TO DONATE: Text: Achieve to 801801
TICKETS SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES OTHER DONATION OPTIONS
TEXT TO DONATE: Text: Achieve to 801801
“I wish to express my deepest gratitude to All Out for Change. From the very beginning of my journey to and through college, you’ve helped bring my dream of becoming a renowned opera singer into focus by supporting me both financially and emotionally. Please, continue the good work! “
Anthony Anderson, September 24, 2020
All Out for Change® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that invests in the academic success of economically disadvantaged students by providing financial assistance for college related essentials such as laptops, textbooks, and transportation costs through its Supplemental Scholarship Awards program. Event proceeds will fund Supplemental Scholarship Awards for students with demonstrated financial need.
Anthony Anderson, September 24, 2020
All Out for Change® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that invests in the academic success of economically disadvantaged students by providing financial assistance for college related essentials such as laptops, textbooks, and transportation costs through its Supplemental Scholarship Awards program. Event proceeds will fund Supplemental Scholarship Awards for students with demonstrated financial need.
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out for Change®
For More Information: MaryAnn Puglisi, Chief Engagement Officer & Founder, All Out for Change®
5 Illuminating, Page-Turning Summer Reads Like No Other
In a Broken Educational System
Serendipity & Good Fortune Crush the Cycle of Poverty
In a Broken Educational System
Serendipity & Good Fortune Crush the Cycle of Poverty
Washington, DC, August 6, 2021 - All Out for Change®, an anti-poverty, pro-opportunity organization, has compiled a timely list of illuminating, gripping, real-world stories. Reading any one of the 5 books, both heart-warming and sad, by award-winning journalists and authors will shed light on the dark corner of our educational system’s inequity and the tragic consequences experienced by millions of financially disadvantaged students whose lives won’t feature the same good fortune as Cedric Jennings, Nicholas Kristof, Ryan Speedo Green, Wes Moore, and Arshay Cooper.
The following page-turners reveal that high school and college degrees and upward mobility often come down to the serendipitous appearance of pivotal people at critical moments, and the student scholar’s courage, strength, and persistence that emerges to break through road-blocks and faltering hope and belief on a perilous journey that’s far from mundane.
A Hope in the Unseen, An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League, by Ron Suskind, “Chosen as one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Monthly and Booklist.”
Tightrope, Americans Reaching for Hope, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, a National Bestseller.
Sing For Your Life, A Story of Race, Music and Family, a story of Ryan Speedo Green’s obstacle-ridden ascent from poverty in rural Virginia to the Metropolitan Opera, as told by Daniel Bergner, a National Bestseller.
The Other Wes Moore- One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore, who remarks in his New York Times Bestseller, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.”
A Most Beautiful Thing, The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team, by Arshay Cooper, a Benjamin Franklin award-winning author and recipient of the 2017 USRowing Golden Oars Award.
In a July 28th, 2021 article, The Washington Post referenced statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor: “Higher education levels tend to correspond with higher earnings… The median weekly pay in 2020 for workers with a bachelor’s degree was $1,305, compared with $938 for those with an associate’s degree and $781 for high school graduates.”
Anthony, a two-time All Out for Change® Supplemental Scholarship award recipient, aspiring opera singer, and scholarship student pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, comments in an interview with another fortunate 2021 full-scholarship student with an IT job offer, “we have overwhelming odds we have to face and get over as a community… I was blessed to be able to.”
To listen instead to his and others’ stories rather than read from the list, the All Out for Change® website features 5 interviews conducted by Anthony, filled with insightful illuminating conversation. Listeners will hear students and degreed young adults, at different stages of achievement in their pursuit of upward mobility and fulfilling careers, tell it like it is. Though with less depth than the books, the conversations also reveal key worries, financial stress, struggles and critical turning points that lead to hard-earned achievements one-step at a time on their families’ unfamiliar unbeaten path.
All Out for Change® helps public high school students overcome disadvantages our educational systems’ inequities present. The organization raises funds to cultivate competitive college and scholarship candidates, and helps full and partial-scholarship recipients with the myriad of essentials their wealthier peers' families can afford, such as laptops, transportation to and from college, clothes for job interviews, meals, dorm and school supplies, and scholarship tuition gaps that prevent registration if not paid. Learn more at AllOutForChange.org.
The following page-turners reveal that high school and college degrees and upward mobility often come down to the serendipitous appearance of pivotal people at critical moments, and the student scholar’s courage, strength, and persistence that emerges to break through road-blocks and faltering hope and belief on a perilous journey that’s far from mundane.
A Hope in the Unseen, An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League, by Ron Suskind, “Chosen as one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Monthly and Booklist.”
Tightrope, Americans Reaching for Hope, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, a National Bestseller.
Sing For Your Life, A Story of Race, Music and Family, a story of Ryan Speedo Green’s obstacle-ridden ascent from poverty in rural Virginia to the Metropolitan Opera, as told by Daniel Bergner, a National Bestseller.
The Other Wes Moore- One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore, who remarks in his New York Times Bestseller, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.”
A Most Beautiful Thing, The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team, by Arshay Cooper, a Benjamin Franklin award-winning author and recipient of the 2017 USRowing Golden Oars Award.
In a July 28th, 2021 article, The Washington Post referenced statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor: “Higher education levels tend to correspond with higher earnings… The median weekly pay in 2020 for workers with a bachelor’s degree was $1,305, compared with $938 for those with an associate’s degree and $781 for high school graduates.”
Anthony, a two-time All Out for Change® Supplemental Scholarship award recipient, aspiring opera singer, and scholarship student pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, comments in an interview with another fortunate 2021 full-scholarship student with an IT job offer, “we have overwhelming odds we have to face and get over as a community… I was blessed to be able to.”
To listen instead to his and others’ stories rather than read from the list, the All Out for Change® website features 5 interviews conducted by Anthony, filled with insightful illuminating conversation. Listeners will hear students and degreed young adults, at different stages of achievement in their pursuit of upward mobility and fulfilling careers, tell it like it is. Though with less depth than the books, the conversations also reveal key worries, financial stress, struggles and critical turning points that lead to hard-earned achievements one-step at a time on their families’ unfamiliar unbeaten path.
All Out for Change® helps public high school students overcome disadvantages our educational systems’ inequities present. The organization raises funds to cultivate competitive college and scholarship candidates, and helps full and partial-scholarship recipients with the myriad of essentials their wealthier peers' families can afford, such as laptops, transportation to and from college, clothes for job interviews, meals, dorm and school supplies, and scholarship tuition gaps that prevent registration if not paid. Learn more at AllOutForChange.org.
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Notes:
• Find book cover images at AllOutForChange.org;
• All Out for Change® urges support of small independent businesses, and so, provides website links to purchase books via Kramers, AllOutForChange.org.
• Find book cover images at AllOutForChange.org;
• All Out for Change® urges support of small independent businesses, and so, provides website links to purchase books via Kramers, AllOutForChange.org.
