On July 1, 2008 Bottom Line officially opened our doors at 600 Main Street to the students of Worcester. This momentous day in our organization's history came 15 months after Bottom Line's Board of Directors charged the staff to investigate expansion to other cities as a component of a five-year strategic plan.

After the completion of the plan, the staff and board determined that expansion was a key to our growth and that Worcester, Massachusetts was the best overall candidate for expansion. We are thrilled to be the newest member of the Worcester community and we are looking forward to providing our proven services to the disadvantaged young people of Worcester.

Why Worcester?
The analysis we completed over several months helped us determine that Worcester was the right location for our expansion. Our research included a demographic study and conversations with many local groups and individuals. Worcester ranked at the top of our list in several key criteria; With 1,300 graduating seniors, Worcester is the second largest city in New England; It is close in proximity to our current office; it is inside the same state college network; and has a robust college environment surrounding it. In terms of need, only approximately 40% of the graduates go on to 4-year colleges and there is no comprehensive data available on college graduation rates of Worcester students. Both areas where Bottom Line can have an immediate impact.

Plans for Year 1
On July 1, 2008 Bottom Line - Worcester first opened its doors to the high school students of Worcester. With a location at 600 Main Street, just 2 blocks from city hall and the main bus interchange, Bottom Line's office is centrally located for convenient access for high school students from across the city.

In our first year in Worcester, Bottom Line will provide 75 high school seniors with the intensive one-on-one college counseling that thousands of Boston students have received in the past decade. Our staff in Worcester is comprised of two full-time employees, Ginette Saimprevil (Director) and Miriam Rubin (counselor).

While Ginette and Miriam are helping the class of 2009 navigate the college application process, they will also support the college students on campus in Worcester that have arrived from Boston. Students at Assumption, Clark, Holy Cross and WPI will receive regular visits, phone calls, as well as academic and financial advice to ensure they remain on track toward a degree. We are largely filling the role of a parent who often is not present in the lives of our students to the degree that is necessary to keep them enrolled.

Next year, when the students from the class of 2009 head off to college, Bottom Line will continue to support those students on campuses throughout the region, seeking to improve the unacceptable graduation rate of low income and first generation college students that stands at less than 30% nationally!

To be successful in our efforts to build Bottom Line - Worcester, we need your help. There are several ways you can get involved:

Visit our office to learn more -Directions

Tell your friends and colleagues about our plan to help Worcester students Get in, Graduate and Go far

Make a donation to support our program

Our Worcester Advisory Committee 
Our Worcester advisory committee members have played an integral role in the development of our office and the early success reaching the Worcester community. If you would like to join with us, please let us know!

Current Advisory Committee Members

Charlie O'Connor, Fidelity Investments	John Alexandrov, Legacy Capital Solutions
Marcy Reed, National Grid	Mario Silva-Rosa, Assumption College
Hilda Ramirez, Worcester Youth Center	Mary O'Sullivan, University Park Campus School

Contact our Worcester Office
Visit: 600 Main Street, Suite 110, Worcester
Phone: 508-757-3400
Email: Ginette@bottomline.org