In the fall of 1989, a small group of individuals from the higher education and the corporate communities came together and met weekly to plan The Carver Promise.  During the next eighteen months, this group of volunteers added to their numbers and worked to form a coalition between the four institutions of higher education and the Richmond Public Schools.

On February 20, 1991, these four colleges- J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Union University—announced publicly a pilot project for a group of 150 plus third-graders at George Washington Carver Elementary School in Richmond, Virginia.  The two-part promise made to these students was; to provide them with mentors who would work with them as they moved through their schooling and, once having completed high school, assist them in the college application and acceptance process.

Population served (RRHA 2003)

Gilpin Court is the largest and oldest public housing development in Richmond, Virginia.  It has 764 households with roughly 1,130 children under the age 18.  687 households are headed by single females with an average household income of $8,076 annually.

The children served by The Carver Promise possess strengths and other characteristics upon which we can build:

1. They are very bright and can be persuasive at times.
2. They are highly perceptive and can tell when you are being false and shallow.
3. They have a strong sense of family and faith.
4. They have a high energy level.
5. They want a lot of attention and will attach themselves to you.
6. They see violence on a regular basis.
7. Their parents are very concerned and sensitive about their children.  (We encourage frequent and open communication with parents.)

Information provided by RRHA's website.

GOALS

The goals of The Carver Promise are numerous, including encouraging and supporting grade-school aged children in the Richmond community toward college attendance; exposing grade school-aged in the Richmond community to the college lifestyle and experience, and assisting Richmond area grade schools, middle schools, and high schools to educate Richmond’s youth and prepare them for higher education..