Based in Washington, D.C., the Youth Leadership Foundation helps disadvantaged youngsters to beat the odds and succeed in school. Their program is designed to improve academic achievement, enabling their students to enter a college-prep course of study in high school, while stressing the importance of character development "so they can take what they have learned in the classroom and become future leaders who do their work with a spirit of service toward others". The program's success is stunning: 97% of its students graduate from high school and go on to college – an impressive feat given that the population that YLF helps is ripe for dropouts.

    www.ylf.helpingkids.org