Community

Involvement in the community is an important aspect of life at BBD.

Our approach is unique.

A Service Committee, comprising volunteer firm members, selects a philanthropy theme for each year. Our community efforts for the year, including both volunteer efforts and fundraising, are built around the selected theme.

In 2010 and 2011, the firm has been tackling the issue of education within the City of Philadelphia’s most underprivileged neighborhoods and the achievement gap in urban education. More specifically, we are working with Young Scholars Charter School, a high-performing charter school serving 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from North Philadelphia.

Young Scholars Charter School uses a focused, progressive educational approach designed to close the achievement gap for its 223 low-income, minority students who arrive at the school from District schools severely under-prepared. Students spend 33% more time in the classroom than their peers in District schools. Because of the school’s relentless focus and discipline, as well as the passion of the school’s leaders, Young Scholars is the highest performing charter middle school in the City. Despite entering Young Scholars at least one level below grade level in Math and/or Reading, the school’s 8th graders surpass their District peers in Math and Reading and are at or near the State average. 98% of the school’s graduates go on to a college prep high school.

In addition to our work with Young Scholars Charter School, we will also embark on our third annual firm-sponsored extended service opportunity in 2011. Each year, the partners invite all staff members and their families to journey to a distressed area of Appalachia for a week of service.  In past years, we’ve traveled to Kentucky and West Virginia, and this year, we will return to Kentucky.

 Read about our 2009 service trip to Eastern Kentucky in a series of articles from AccountingWeb.