Local Foundation prepares students for college

The Gloria J. Taylor Foundation was founded by Dr. Theresa Dixon in 1997 to honor her mother who was the first Black and first woman elected official in Harvey in the 1970s. Photo provided by Dr. Theresa Dixon
The Gloria J. Taylor Foundation was founded by Dr. Theresa Dixon in 1997 to honor her mother who was the first Black and first woman elected official in Harvey in the 1970s. Photo provided by Dr. Theresa Dixon

 Local Foundation prepares students for college

By Tia Carol Jones

Dr. Theresa Dixon founded the Gloria J. Taylor Foundation in 1997 in honor of her mother who was the first Black and the first woman to hold an elected office in Harvey.

Taylor was first elected in Harvey as the Park Commissioner. She saw there weren’t activities or places for the youth to go. She became involved in the community and had a park built.  Taylor also developed academic programs for the youth in Harvey. Taylor had a heart for the community and believed in giving back and supporting.

“She was very passionate about giving back and serving the community and she understood the importance of education. She was always supportive, appreciative, and valued seniors.  The seniors understood our history, they had to work hard to achieve what they had,” Dixon said.
When Gloria J. Taylor passed away, Dixon promised her that her love and commitment to the community would not be in vain. The Gloria J. Taylor Foundation was started in her name to continue her legacy.

The foundation works with youth to prepare them for college and ensure they stay in college and graduate. The foundation provides mentoring, SAT prep, assistance with college essays and scholarships “We do everything to make sure a student is serviced, not just academically, but socially and emotionally,” Dixon said.

The Gloria J. Taylor Foundation has Federal TRIO Programs, which identify and provide services to students from disadvantage backgrounds.  The foundation serves low-income, underrepresented, and first-generation college students.

“We take the least of these and make them great. The ones who people have given up on, or didn’t see had potential, or had potential and didn’t know how to light that fire under them,” Dixon said.

The Gloria J. Taylor Foundation provides pre-college programs and attempts to get students enrolled in colleges and universities where they can continue to get their mentoring and tutoring.

The foundation visits the students while they are at a post-secondary institution, their mentors stay connected to them, there is an alumni group. During spring college tours, the foundation tries to visit students who have been placed in college.

“Not only do the students in college know we haven’t forgotten about them, but the students coming behind them see that the programs work. They see that we did get these kids to schools and with  scholarships,” Dixon said. “Kids need visuals, they need to see we’re not just talking the talk but we’re actually walking the walk.”

Students who are part of the program that might have to come home are not abandoned. The foundation will do a re-placing to find a college or institution that might be a better fit. It lets the students know they can always come back. A lot of the students do come back to visit.
The mentors from the foundation attend the students’ graduations and sporting events as a way to show their support.

Throughout the 24 years, Dixon estimates more than 5,000 students have been helped by the Gloria J. Taylor Foundation. In that number, there have been five (Bill and Melinda Gates), Gates Millennium Scholars.

Seeing the students that come through the program flourish is confirmation to Dixon that her work is not in vain and that she is on assignment and she is doing what’s right. “I tell people all the time, this is not a job, this is a purpose, this is why I was created. There’s no amount of money that can pay me for the response of a kid appreciating the efforts we’ve put into them by helping them to be great and successful while they’re in college,” Dixon said.

For more information about the Gloria J. Taylor Foundation, visit https://gjtf.org.

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