mbutts@heraldsun.com; 419-6684
DURHAM -- As a Duke undergraduate, Dan Kimberg created Student U along with fellow Duke student Amanda Dorsey and UNC student Mary Williams -- and most of all, with the support of Durham, Kimberg said.
"It was Durham's idea," he said. "It was definitely built by Durham, for Durham."
That collaborative spirit has only strengthened as the program has grown to 250 students. Durham Academy hosts the program each summer on its Middle School campus and offers "a ton" of other in-kind donations -- totaling about $200,000 each year, Kimberg said.
Durham Public Schools, Duke University, N.C. Central University and UNC have also remained steadfast partners, offering funding, expertise and support in numerous other ways, he said.
And it's not just educational institutions that are on board: Durham is full of individuals and businesses who believe in what Student U is doing, and "we always need more support," Kimberg said.
One of those businesses is Durham Catering Co., which provides nutritious meals -- the kids attest that they're tasty -- each day. The business has also shown its support by welcoming some of the older Student U students as interns this summer.
Since he first approached school board member Heidi Carter and former board member Steve Schewel with his idea for Student U "with zero dollars" in his hand, Kimberg said, the program has raised about $3.5 million.
It costs about $450,000 a year to run the program -- a number that's low thanks to in-kind donations, he said -- but the financial need will grow as the program adds students each year. Student U, formerly under the fiscal umbrella of Durham Academy, recently became its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
To make a donation, visit Student U's website at http://www.studentudurham.org.
Now, with Student U in its fifth year, Schewel -- who said he initially wondered how "a college kid" like Kimberg would find a way to launch such an ambitious project -- said he's "amazed."
"To see now, just the level of achievement and the number of kids and how well they're doing … I'm just blown away."
