Donor Profile

Tom and Lou Glenn

How College Bound was Born

In the late 1980s, Tom Glenn spent an afternoon visiting several Boys & Girls Clubs with BGCMA's president. Impressed with what he saw, he and his wife Lou decided to make a contribution. Over the next couple of years, they made regular gifts.

In 1994, Tom heard a story that caught his attention. On of our Club member's parents approached Boys & Girls Club staff and asked how they could get their child into college just months down the road. Realizing the young man was not prepared to enter college, Tom met with the BGCMA staff to talk about what could be done to help Club members better prepare for college. He knew that preparation for college should begin during the child's freshmen year of high school. It was then and there that College Bound was born.

Through one-on-one consultations, College Bound staff and volunteers work with Club teen members, ages 14 to 18 and guide them through college preparation. They monitor participants’ coursework to ensure they are fulfilling the requirements for college admission; offer assistance with the application process; help research financial aid and scholarship opportunities; assist with preparation for the Georgia graduation test, the PSAT and SAT; and coordinate college tours for first-hand experience.

In the 14 years since its inception, College Bound has helped thousands of teens prepare for high school graduation and college. The results? Today, 89 percent of College Bound teens graduate from high school and attend college. Many program participants are the first in their family to attend college.

Thanks to the Glenn’s insight, thousands are given the promise of being college bound and the opportunity for a bright future.