They might not be fancy but Baldwin, Michigan found a way to send every kid in town to college. It’s called The Baldwin Promise. The deal is that, if you graduate, you are guaranteed $5,000 a year for college tuition, for up to 4 years.
This isn’t an easy task for any community, and it’s especially tough when 1 in 3 folks live below the poverty line. But what Baldwin lacks in money, it more than makes up for with heart and grit.
Rich Simonson created The Baldwin Promise. He’s a retired politician and a Baldwin native. He and the community pooled their resources and, starting in 2005, every kid in Baldwin now receives $5,000 for up to 4 years of college, paid for by small donations from residents. Now almost everyone who graduates high school in Baldwin heads off to college or technical school.
“It opens up a college education to any child who demonstrates that he or she has the ability,” Randall Howes says.
It’s not just the money that’s created this huge shift – it’s also the way the community talks about education. Before, college was seen as a privilege, now it’s expected of the students. During high school, the kids take multiple trips to college campuses
Big ups to Baldwin for showing that with a little love and a lotta work we can bring our own communities up from within.
