When Heather Simmons learned about The Excel Center®, a free high school for adults, she’d been out of high school for 18 years, working in the fast food industry. At 35 years old, she  wanted more for herself and her family.

In 2010, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana recognized that over half-a-million adults in Indiana lacked a high school diploma. Having already opened Indianapolis Metropolitan High School in 2004, a public charter school for traditional-aged students that focuses on college and career pathways, Goodwill was well positioned to meet this challenge.

In July 2017, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana awarded nearly $60,000 in scholarships to 22 employees, graduates and program participants to help them overcome barriers to pursuing higher education. One recipient, Nina Sharp, had enrolled at The Excel Center®, Goodwill’s high school for adults, after dropping out 17 years earlier.

If you didn’t know her story, Clarissa Dunn would look like an average, 21-year old college student, but the truth is, she has worked extremely hard to get on the path to higher education. She dropped out of high school her freshman year after becoming pregnant. When she enrolled at The Excel Center®, Goodwill’s high school for adults, she had few transferable credits and was completely starting over.

The challenges and opportunities we all face in life shift our paths. At 15, Magi Wachtel experienced a major shift in her life when her father passed away from cancer.

Born with cerebral palsy, Nathanial Gregory credits his successful high school experience in part to accommodations that were designed to help him overcome his educational barriers. Upon graduation, he enrolled in college – the first in his family to attend – and found himself in an unfamiliar academic setting with little knowledgeable guidance.

Recently, Jeff Bezos tweeted to the world a “request for ideas…” and has received more than 43,000 responses.

It is no surprise to any philanthropic individual that Mr. Bezos may be conflicted about which organization is most deserving of his donation. Like any good investor, he would like his investment to have meaning . In his tweet he talks about his desire to help people in the “here and now” as well as “the short term,” but at the same time wants his investment to have a lasting impact. Therein lies the struggle

I have a proposal for altruistic individuals such as Mr. Bezos— looking to satisfy that desire for helping in the here and now, but with a lasting impact. Give adults the chance to earn their high school diploma and a certification, empowering them to secure a living wage, and breaking the cycle of generational poverty.

Thirty million adults in the U.S. lack a high school diploma and more than 3 million people drop out annually. This persistent problem leaves a significant portion of the population unprepared to succeed in the 21st-century workforce and increasingly difficult to earn family-sustaining wages. Nearly two-thirds of adults who do not complete high school are living in poverty. This population is more likely to require government assistance and is eight times more likely to be incarcerated than high school graduates. These difficulties not only affect the individuals, but also their children, families and communities.

The Excel Center is a unique, tuition-free public high school, providing adults who previously dropped out the opportunity to reengage in their education.Students complete a rigorous curriculum to earn a Core 40 diploma, and receive future-focused guidance and support toward a postsecondary education or career-enhancing certification.The Excel Center operates on 8-week terms, accelerating the pace of coursework - creating quick wins and fast completion of course requirements. Open enrollment periods several times a year allow adults to begin pursuing their diploma sooner rather than later.

To you, Jeff Bezos, we extend an invitation to explore our proposal. Determine if changing the trajectory of a family’s future through education is a good fit for your own philanthropic activity.  You help the here and now by providing an adult the opportunity to graduate high school and gain a better career.In the long term, you’re helping set their children on the path of higher education and higher earnings, effectively making a generational impact on the world you live in, not to mention, increasing the purchasing power of your future Amazon and Whole Foods shoppers.