By Dana Spychalla
Ascendium Education Group

Vera Court Neighborhood Center Executive Director Tom Solyst brims with pride when he sees Northside youth gaining poise and confidence through opportunities like the RISE Mentoring Program.

“It’s great to see how far these students have come from elementary school,” Solyst said.

Vera Court has been providing academic support to neighborhood children through mentoring, tutoring and after-school programming since 1994. Solyst said the center couldn’t provide these services without the support of businesses like Ascendium Education Group (formerly Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates). In fact, Ascendium was one of the first to fund the RISE Mentoring Program for Vera Court. 

Now Ascendium is taking its longstanding relationship with Vera Court a step farther by “adopting” the center as part of its Ascendium Cares employee giving program. Last fall, employees at Ascendium’s Madison office conducted Shark Tank-like interviews with three worthy local nonprofits. Vera Court prevailed in a close vote, and both organizations will benefit from the relationship for three years. 

“Coming to speak to Ascendium employees was really personal and emotional for us,” Solyst said. “We were able to speak from our hearts about how rewarding our work is. The whole process reinforced why we love what we do.”

Ascendium employees will have many opportunities to make a difference at Vera Court, starting in April with a drive to collect needed items for children who attend programming at Vera Court. Those items include art and school supplies and games for learning. Ascendium employees are also encouraged to use their volunteer time off (VTO) benefit to help out at Vera Court. Each Ascendium employee receives up to eight hours of paid VTO per year to volunteer at the nonprofit of their choice. 

Ascendium also hosts a free legal clinic at Vera Court on the second Thursday of each month, an important service for Northside families. The Ascendium legal team typically assists three to four families during these scheduled appointments.

As an active Northside nonprofit, Ascendium understands how important it is to support those in its community. “Our mission is to champion opportunity for everyone,” said Ascendium Chairman, President and CEO Richard George. “We’ve invested in the success of children and families like those of the Northside, and strengthening our relationship with Vera Court allows us to live our mission every day.”

“It’s important for our kids to see Ascendium employees and others in the community coming in to show them their support,” Solyst said. “It makes them feel special and valued and connected. They learn about different professions and opportunities they might have after high school from our volunteers and mentors. It really expands their world view.”

Solyst believes community-based programming is at the core of a healthy neighborhood, and he sees Vera Court as the heart of the Northside community. Vera Court takes ownership of the success of neighborhood children, and Solyst is excited to see what the future holds for the center.

“It’s really important that nonprofit, community-based programs continue to exist and thrive,” Solyst said. “That’s why we are so grateful for our partnership with Ascendium. The generosity of their employees is just wonderful.”