Our All-Star College Scholarship recipients become part of the UMPS CARE Charities family. Each recipient receives $10,000 per year for four years to support their college education, in addition to receiving ongoing mentorship from Major League Baseball Umpires, their family members and supporters.
This is a story about how our program resonated with two women from North Carolina, and how they are making a difference in the lives of children adopted later in life.
UMPS CARE Charities changes lives.
This might sound cliché, but trust us, what we say is true.
We are making a difference for kids who are adopted later in life, many of whom come from the foster-care system. Not only are we providing them with financial support to help them achieve their dream of a college degree ($10,000 annually), but this program is way more than a check.
In addition, UMPS CARE pairs each scholarship recipient with a Major League Baseball Umpire and their family as mentors, and we make sure that each recipient receives phone-call check-ins, care packages and other goodies throughout the year.
This fall, we reached out to two amazing women from a company called Simply2Moms. Simply2Moms is a lifestyle brand founded by longtime friends and neighbors, AnnMarie Christiano and Anne Zirkle. Between the two of them, they had sent off six children to college. They have turned those experiences into a company that offers practical advice and resources to help other parents navigate the college years, from dorm move-in and organization to the everyday challenges that come with sending a child off to college.
These North Carolina moms learned about our All-Star College Scholarship Program, and they offered their expertise to help our students.
And did they ever.
Almost as soon as we connected, AnnMarie and Anne were on a mission.
The Amazon deliveries were on overdrive as AnnMarie and Anne used their company and organizational know-how to order just the right items for Tamia’s dorm room makeover.
We contacted one of our students, Tamia Akers, who is at Howard University, since AnnMarie and Anne were going to be in the Washington, D.C., area. AnnMarie and Anne worked their magic, and when Tamia returned from classes, the makeover was complete!
This experience was so much more than a room makeover. It was a way for us remind our scholarship students that they have a community behind them throughout their college journey.
Tamia was 10 when she was placed in foster care and was adopted when she was 13. She and her adoptive parents cobbled together funds for college, and Tamia has a job on Capitol Hill while taking classes at Howard. She is a sophomore with majoring in political science with the goal of attending law school.
Still, that doesn’t leave a ton of leftover funds for trips home (in the Canton-Akron area of Ohio) over the holidays, much less money to decorate a dorm room.
Tamia’s room was pretty sparse before AnnMarie and Anne literally entered the scene. AnnMarie and Anne took time to learn about Tamia’s style, favorite colors and wishlist items. From there, they planned and personally provided the furnishings, organization and dorm essentials to transform the space.
The women were able to connect a favorite brand of theirs, Nest & Nook Bedding which generously donated Tamia’s Twin XL sheet set. The set includes built-in pockets along the side of the bed to provide much-needed extra storage space.
After hours of unboxing, decorating and primping, the makeover was complete.
The room is now filled with personality and purple (Tamia’s favorite color). Most of all, it provides comfort and a reminder that she has a village cheering her on.
“We wanted Tamia to walk into the room and immediately feel like it was hers,” AnnMarie said. “We wanted her space to be comfortable, organized and functional. Seeing her reaction when she opened that door is something we’ll never forget.”
When Tamia opened the door to see the makeover, she immediately started crying tears of joy – or, as she put it, “ugly tears.”
“I think I’m going to sleep on the floor tonight,” Tamia told us. “I don’t want to mess up the bed!”
“I almost don’t want to leave my room,” she gushed.
Tamia is not the only UMPS CARE scholarship recipient to receive gifts from Simply2Moms. AnnMarie and Anne are providing gifts for our three other incoming students – April Dentico (Montclair State University), Kaitlyn Jones (University of Southern Mississippi) and Ashley Marron Rodriguez (Texas Woman’s University). Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this is the first year UMPS CARE has been able to fund four new scholarships in an academic year.
We are truly grateful for AnnMarie and Anne for stepping up to the plate and donating their time, products, services – and most of all, their kindness – for Tamia.
“What began as one dorm room makeover has also become the start of a relationship that AnnMarie and I hope to continue,” Anne said. “We hope to work with UMPS CARE and additional brand partners to support future scholarship recipients as they begin their college careers.”
The UMPS CARE Charities All-Star Scholarship Program is about easing the financial burden of a college education but including extras that make children feel supported. Since 2015, when UMPS CARE added a mentorship component to our program, we are proud to share that we have had a 100% graduation rate among our students. Nationally, kids coming out of foster care graduate four-year colleges at a 5% rate.
UMPS CARE is moving the needle for kids like Tamia.
You don’t have to decorate a dorm room to help our All-Star College Scholarship Program recipients, but you can make an impact by making a donation today and supporting students like Tamia. Whether you support the program with a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter, your gift will make a difference!