Summer 2025 Preview

Hey Brainiacs! We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our mixer this Thursday, May 1st at Times Ten Cellars at 6 pm. You can find the Evite here! STEM Strong Sisters 2025 is off to a great start and looking forward to several summer field trips. S.P.A.R.K. and Robotics Camp are returning again this summer, we are excited to continue these programs and engage with more kids!

Year 3

2018 S.P.A.R.K.

In 2018, we introduced several new programs that expanded both our reach and our ability to serve students more holistically, equipping them for today’s challenges and preparing them for the future. Earlier that year, our youngest son was diagnosed with Autism, and David and I quickly found ourselves navigating the complexities of advocating for services through the SPED system at school. Even with David’s background as a teacher, our network of knowledgeable friends, and the incredible support of a close friend who was both a behavioral therapist and ARD advocate, the process was still incredibly hard and frustrating. We had knowledge, preparation, resources, and someone holding our hand, yet it was still overwhelming. David and I knew that Jonathan would struggle to succeed academically if we didn't advocate for his needs.

That experience opened our eyes to how vital ARD advocacy is, especially for parents who may not have the support or resources we did. Low-income students often face significant academic gaps, and without the right accommodations and support, they simply won’t thrive.

That’s why we developed our ARD Advocacy Program. Each parent receives 10 hours of one-on-one consultation to help them develop academic and behavioral goals to present to the school, along with strategies to support those goals. Our advocates attend ARD meetings alongside the parent, not just to explain the process, but to stand in the gap and help advocate for what their child needs to succeed.

That same year, we launched our Career Chat program. We recognized that students from low-income families often aren’t aware of the wide range of career opportunities available to them. Many have only been exposed to wage-earning jobs, not careers. And really, how can a child dream if they don’t know what’s possible? Career Chat was created to help change that. In its earliest form, the program was simple. We invited professionals to speak to a small group of students at a low-income apartment complex after school. These speakers shared their education and training paths and gave students a glimpse into their daily work life. Since then, Career Chat has grown significantly. Today, we serve 400 to 500 students in just a few days through a virtual format. Students hear from multiple professionals representing a wide variety of industries, from across the country. The virtual setting has opened the door to more creativity and flexibility. Our speakers have taken students behind the scenes—into the kitchen of a caterer, the cockpit of a pilot, a police officer’s squad car, a judge’s bench in a courtroom, and more. One of the most exciting moments was a conversation with a Secret Service agent who once served on President Barack Obama’s detail.

Looking back, 2018 was a pivotal year. It helped clarify our priorities and shaped the model we use today. We continue to grow by listening, learning, and walking alongside the students and families we serve.

2018 Timeline

April- First Career Chat event

June- Be The Light 8k Fun Run

August- ARD Advocacy program established

Year 2

2017 Career Chat

2017 was the year Noggin started to take off.  We were starting to gain our bearings and learning more about the support our students needed.  At the end of 2016, we met with a donor who asked us what we needed most. The answer was easy—an office! David and I had been using our apartment, and with the sheer volume of summer program activities, our bedroom was barely holding up. Plus, assembling the activities wasn’t really a two-person job. We needed volunteers to help us and certainly couldn’t invite them into our bedroom to cut and paste with us! By February of that year, two donors stepped in and solved our problem, and the Noggin headquarters was established in Arlington, TX. Side note—Robin and Chris still generously cover our office rent every year!

In 2017 we also reached several key programming milestones. We launched our private tutoring program, Homework Heroes, along with Aspire Academic and Career Mentoring.  Initially, we offered twelve one-hour sessions to as many students we could find, believing that personalized tutoring with a certified teacher could make a significant impact in closing learning gaps. Due to funding limitations, each student only received twelve sessions, and we hoped that this jumpstart would set them on the right path. Years later, with more financial support, we refined our approach to be even more effective—but more on that later!

Homework Heroes was offered at low-income apartment complexes where existing programs provided dinner and homework help for resident children. These programs usually had around 30 students with just one person assisting them all–hardly a recipe for success. Seeing the need for more support, we started recruiting volunteers to provide homework help for these programs. 

Aspire Academic and Career Mentoring launched as a pilot program for 9th–12th grade students, beginning with four freshman students from a local nonprofit, Integrity Mentors. We created this program recognizing that many students have the potential to pursue higher education and build meaningful, fulfilling careers but lack the necessary resources and guidance to achieve their goals. Each student was paired with a mentor who met with them monthly to explore future possibilities and provide support along their journey.

The Homework Heroes and Aspire programs unfortunately had to be discontinued due to lack of funding and volunteer support. Our goal is to revive these programs in the future as we grow.

These first two years were instrumental in shaping the foundation’s strategy and vision. Through trial and error, we gained invaluable insights into the real needs of our students and the challenges of sustaining impactful programs. We learned that while short-term interventions could provide a boost, long-term, consistent support was necessary for lasting change. These experiences reinforced the importance of financial sustainability, volunteer engagement, and strategic program development. The lessons learned during this time continue to inform our approach today, ensuring that as we grow, we do so with a stronger foundation, a clearer mission, and a greater capacity to serve the students who need us most.

2017 Timeline

February- first Noggin office and headquarters established

August- Aspire Academic and Career Mentoring program established

October- Tutoring program established

November- First Homework Heroes event