LOUISVILLE, KY / AGILITYPR.NEWS / June 30, 2021 / ORGANIZATIONS ALIGN TO INCREASE SUPPORT FOR SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES

Louisville-based Family Scholar House announces its first West Coast affiliate, Los Angeles-based Raise The Barr

Family Scholar House is thrilled to announce its first West Coast affiliate with Los Angeles-based Raise the Barr. Both organizations are committed to two-generation programming to end the cycle of poverty by promoting post-secondary education and comprehensive support services for single parents and their children.

Through the affiliation, Family Scholar House will support Raise Barr’s strategic goals for outreach and expansion by providing resources that include innovative best practices for data collection and data-informed services for their community. The ultimate goal is for participants to complete their post-secondary educations and enter careers with economic mobility, which provides a better life for them and their children.

Co-Founded in 2016 by Anthony Barr, 4x Pro Bowl linebacker with the Minnesota Vikings and UCLA All-American, and his mother Lori Barr, Raise The Barr is committed to increasing the economic mobility for single-parent students by providing them with the holistic resources they need to complete educations, including resources they need for their children to thrive. From their own lived experience, the founders understand that promoting college success among student parents is critical to improving racial, ethnic, and gender equity in higher education access.

“Raise The Barr is doing exactly that: helping single-parent students set high expectations for themselves and their children’s future by investing in their success,” states Cathe Dykstra, Chief Possibility Officer, President, and CEO of Family Scholar House. “We are proud to have to Raise The Barr, co-founded by Lori and Anthony Barr, as a Family Scholar House affiliate and look forward to celebrating their expansion to reach even more families eager for a hand up, not a handout.”

“Our goal from day one has been to increase opportunity and economic mobility for single-parent students and their children through education, we accomplish this by providing support and resources to families like our own, with a fierce commitment to elevating single-parent voices across the country. Becoming an affiliate of Family Scholar House, and working alongside Cathe Dykstra and her dedicated team is an honor and strengthens our ability to have a greater impact in our hometown of Los Angeles, and the many communities in which we work and serve. It kind of feels like we are now part of a ‘Super Bowl’ winning team, or as Cathe might say, a ‘World Series-winning team.’ It’s inspiring!”

This collaboration is part of Family Scholar House’s affiliate expansion. Through the program, Family Scholar House provides technical assistance, hands-on training, and access to the organization’s canvas/s database to its affiliates in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and now California.