Friends,

As we approach the 10th anniversary of Friends of WHEELS, we’re taking on an exciting new change: a new name, Futures Ignite.

What’s in a name? It turns out, quite a bit. With Friends of WHEELS coming up on its 10th anniversary, we still find ourselves spending quite a bit of time explaining who we are, what we do, and what exactly our relationship with the Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, or WHEELS, is. Are we college counselors? Yes. Are we a youth leadership organization? Yes. Is environmental justice part of our mission? Yes. Does the name of Friends of WHEELS convey all of that effectively? Not exactly.

That’s why we’ve decided to rename ourselves Futures Ignite. We believe that this name more accurately reflects the core of our mission: supercharging student opportunities for high school and beyond. We want a world where every high school graduate, not just the top performers, is ensured a bright, economically secure future, whether they choose a pathway that involves higher education or a career building program.

So much has changed over 10 years, but what remains the same is our dedication to WHEELS and the students we serve, and working alongside them to ensure their success after graduation. The work of Futures Ignite is more urgent than ever. Our deep commitment to the school that founded our organization compels us to achieve a greater impact with WHEELS while also preparing to expand to other NYC public high schools.

Thank you for joining us, and for supercharging student opportunities for high school and beyond.

With gratitude,

Jon Vazcones, Board Chair
Molly Delano, Executive Director