Stand with me! As a newly elected member of the Board of Directors, I am thrilled to be participating in the 2025 End of Year Fundraising Campaign for Minds Matter Colorado! This wonderful organization supports students from low-income families attending underfunded schools, with limited access to enrichment opportunities, and facing rising barriers to college.

Minds Matter students and families mirror my personal background, my story - well-meaning parents focused on providing bare essentials with high-achieving students who need guidance towards a successful future. Their potential is enormous — but too often unsupported due to limited time, language barriers, and cultural hurdles.

Without access to academic resources, mentoring, a network, and exposure to college environments, that potential can fade, it can diminish. Because of my involvement in a similar pre-college program (MSEN - Mathematics & Science Education Network), I gained access to resources, to mentors, to college environments, to a supportive network, to scholarships. And, my potential thrived! 

Minds Matter is where potential finds a partner. This holistic model, powered by volunteers and sustained by donors, has produced a 100% college acceptance rate, with scholarship awards, for more than three decades. Our three-year program brings together students and volunteers in a nationwide community that provides:

• Mentorship that builds confidence, resilience, and direction.
• Academic enrichment that strengthens core skills in math, writing, and critical thinking.
• Summer college immersion experiences that open doors to new possibilities and prepare students for independence.
• Personalized college advising that helps every student find — and reach — their best-fit school.

I’m personally passionate about this cause and asking for your help! Every donation—big or small—helps me reach my fundraising goal and directly impacts this important cause.

Here's how you can help:

• Donate: Contribute whatever you can. No amount is too small!
• Spread the Word: Share my fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. Let’s spread awareness so we can raise more!

Help potential find a partner. Thank you for standing by me in this effort to build a world of thriving global citizens. Your support means the world to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 

Sincerely, Mimi. 

Minds Matter Program Costs for Context & Inspiration: 

• $10 - The cost per student of dinner on Monday nights before session
• $50 - The cost of one ride for one student to get to session with our partners at HopSkipDrive ($350 per semester)
• $50 - The average college application fee
• $200 - The cost of ACT/SAT test prep materials for our Juniors
• $300 - The cost one Chromebook for a student
• $2,000 - The average cost of a university summer program tuition 
• $6,200 - the cost for one student for one year in MMCO programming