A Day with An Achievable Dream
Earlier this month, An Achievable Dream opened its doors to representatives from PRA Group, allowing us to witness a day in the life of this organization and its impact on students. It truly was a dream.
We started the morning lined up inside the doors of Seatack Elementary, An Achievable Dream Academy, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Then, as the morning school buses started to arrive, children streamed through the door, dressed for both Valentine’s Day and the 100th day of school. Whether they were adorned in red and pink hearts or had sprayed their hair gray and walked with a cane, each student stopped to shake our hands and make eye-contact, building confidence and interpersonal skills.
“This also gives us the chance to connect with each student as they start their day. We are able to pull them aside and check in with them if it seems like something might be wrong,” said Amasa Smith, director of strategic and community engagement for An Achievable Dream.
An Achievable Dream started in Newport News 30 years ago and has since expanded to Virginia Beach and Henrico. They will celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary in Virginia Beach during their annual A Night to Dream event on Friday, Feb. 24. If you would like to attend or support the nonprofit by participating in their online auction before 9 p.m. on Friday, visit: NightToDream.org.
An Achievable Dream’s morning routine continued with an assembly, where the students chanted positive “affirmations.” Whether it’s “it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice” or “I am someone special,” manifesting these words daily is empowering—one of PRA Group’s own legal account representatives, Teresa Boyd, still recites these hallmark affirmations every day.
From there we observed some of their work in the classrooms. In addition to traditional subjects like math, history, science, English, and languages, An Achievable Dream’s S.A.M.E. curriculum also teaches ethics and etiquette to truly foster well-rounded students.
Students who missed out on years of developing critical peer socialization skills during the pandemic were encouraged to grapple with the type of challenges one might encounter on a playground or in a lunchroom and how to respond with integrity and kindness.
Older students moved on to the nuances of good manners. The lesson we observed leveraged a gamified online quiz, and the students were visibly energized to learn via friendly competition with their peers. While we were there, holding the door, giving up a seat on public transport for someone less able-bodied or with a baby in tow, and when to offer to help carry heavy items were among the scenarios they covered.
From after school clubs, to summer programming to give students a jump-start on the coming year’s curriculum, to Saturday School designed to help those who need extra assistance, An Achievable Dream goes above and beyond to support its students’ education and enrichment, and it remains there for them as alumni. PRA Group is proud to support the Dream.
About PRA Group
As a global leader in acquiring and collecting nonperforming loans, PRA Group, Inc. returns capital to banks and other creditors to help expand financial services for consumers in the Americas, Europe and Australia. With thousands of employees worldwide, PRA Group companies collaborate with customers to help them resolve their debt. For more information, please visit www.pragroup.com.
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Kersey
Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Policy
(757) 641-0558
Elizabeth.Kersey@PRAGroup.com
Investor Contact:
Najim Mostamand, CFA
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(757) 431-7913
IR@PRAGroup.com