(Photo courtesy of College Possible)

On Saturday, October 24, College Possible Milwaukee participated in Make a Difference Day, the nation’s largest day of service, by trick-or-treating for non-perishable food items to fight hunger in Milwaukee in collaboration with Hunger Task Force.

Nearly 250 College Possible Milwaukee students, staff and AmeriCorps members traveled door-to-door in Milwaukee neighborhoods to collect a resulting 302 bags of non-perishable food items for Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force.

Students from College Possible Milwaukee’s 14 partner high schools teamed up to gather food donations from households throughout Milwaukee to benefit families in need. College Possible makes community service a key component for the low-income students it serves. 

Launched in 2008, College Possible Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization serving low-income students in colleges and universities across the nation in addition to its 14 high school student cohorts to significantly increase their chances of earning a college degree. AmeriCorps members guide College Possible students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support to significantly increase their chances of becoming accepted to and succeeding in college.

While their low-income peers face an 11% six-year college graduation rate, College Possible students are connected with the necessary resources and supportive relationships to experience a 55% likelihood of graduating from college within six years. On average, College Possible students’ ACT scores increase by 20%, and 98% are accepted to college.

College Possible services are no-cost to students or schools, but in return they are expected to participate in at least two community service projects a year.  Additionally, College Possible’s emphasis on service aligns with the Milwaukee Public School District’s graduation requirement of twenty hours of community service or a service learning class.