Joquori, a senior in high school, was devastated when his two closest friends were killed last spring. Lonely and despondent, Joquori nearly gave up on school. His 3.7 grade point average plummeted to a 1.9.

As an African-American young man living in Milwaukee's inner city, Joquori easily could have quit school and become an all-too-common statistic – another smart kid doomed by the poverty and difficult circumstances surrounding him. Indeed, that is the fate of many of Joquori's peers: less than 50 percent graduate from high school and only about 35 percent earn a college degree.

But Shawn Sprewer didn't see Joquori that way. As the director of the St. Marcus Lutheran School's College Prep Center (CPC) in north Milwaukee, Shawn knew Joquori had a bright future if he persevered through this trial. "(Shawn) was there and was pushing me," Joquori remembers. "He said you have to get this done. It's your senior year, you have college next year. He's always sharing with me what I have to do to be successful in life."

Shawn's attention and encouragement made the difference, according to Joquori. He regained his focus and will graduate from high school this spring with a 4.0 this semester. He plans to attend the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in the fall to study psychology.

Shawn sees many students like Joquori come through the CPC's doors: High-potential kids floundering amidst a culture that's ready to write them off. "Every kid is a good kid. They need a positive environment with positive influences and that's what we provide,'"he elaborates.

It's a formula first proven successful at St. Marcus Lutheran School. The school offers loving relationships with Christ-modeling adults, high expectations, close accountability, and intense academic support. The results? St. Marcus' 370 students earn extremely high competency marks on standardized tests, despite the fact that 85 percent of them are low-income and 70 percent come from a single-parent home.

"…we have homes that are very stressed and challenged," explains Christine Safranek, development director for St. Marcus, adding that there's often no one at home in the evening to help with homework or require that it be completed. "Many families are struggling so much that living is difficult much less learning and studying."

St. Marcus opened the CPC in 2008, with the help of a Wheat Ridge Ministries seed grant, to address this deficit and provide struggling students extra evening hours of structure and support. Rowland, a 7th grader at St. Marcus, says the CPC helped him pull his grades up from a 1.0 grade point average to a 2.7. "It would be harder to get homework done at home. My mom isn't able to help me since she's in school herself. I'd do the homework (at home alone), but it wouldn't be right and I wouldn't be able to get it checked,” Rowland says.

Much more than just a safe place for kids to hang out, the CPC carries on the school's spiritual and academic focus from 5:00 - 8:30 p.m. four nights a week. Approximately 40 middle- and high-school students choose to spend each evening working with a tutor, participating in character-development and college-prep workshops, and eating a family-style meal together. Both the tutors and meals are supported, in part, through the Wheat Ridge seed grant.

"Some of these kids live off of honey buns and flaming hot chips," explains Shawn. "There's no way we can teach these kids without giving them a nutritious meal. Without the Wheat Ridge support, it would be very hard for us to sit here with smiles on our faces and have accomplished what we have so far."

While dinners feed the students physically, tutors fuel students' minds and spirits. Ten tutors from area businesses and colleges come into the school each week in addition to several high school students, like Joquori, who play the dual role of CPC student and tutor.

"I found I have a few talents this last year," explains Joquori. "I like to help people. I'm like a mentor – that's what I do at CPC. I mentor kids." Joquori recalls one middle schooler who came to the CPC last year with behavior issues and 60 missing classroom assignments. Joquori motivated him to complete the assignments by turning them into games. "He wouldn’t listen to anybody, but for some odd reason he listens to me and calls me his big brother. I think it's because I'm a positive role model. I know that when you're young, you struggle. I'm the type of person who can encourage and build up."

Through his tutoring role, Joquori has gained a unique sense of purpose as well as work and leadership experience. "We put kids in a position to demonstrate their Christian character. It's instrumental in their development," says Shawn.

But it couldn't be done without a wide network of supporters like Wheat Ridge Ministries, adds Christine. "It takes many boots on the ground. We simply don't have enough feet. We know that by ourselves we cannot do it. But with others and God, there's nothing we can't do."

Thank you for being one of many boots on the ground through your support of Wheat Ridge Ministries, and in turn, the St. Marcus Lutheran School College Prep Center. Your generous giving helps students like Joquori and Rowland live outside of their circumstances and up to their potential.

Written by Jennifer Halupnik