Helping Marin City kids get to college drives Bettie Hodges-Shelmire. Her mission began almost two decades ago when she headed up the scholarship committee at her church and noticed that many local teens weren’t on the college path.
A parent at the church told her why.
“I can’t help my kid go to college because I didn’t even graduate from high school,” the mother said. “So I don’t know anything about going to college.”
But Hodges-Shelmire did. While attending UC Berkeley, she had worked in the university’s Educational Opportunity Program, which supports low-income students.
That experience, combined with a deep commitment to the community where she was raised, spurred her to start the Hannah Project, a Marin City nonprofit. The name honors Hannah, a biblical mother who wanted the best for her son.
As executive director, Hodges-Shelmire oversees programs for Marin City youth from elementary school through college. Yet the path to higher education isn’t always smooth. Kids hear plenty of messages that pull them away from college, she explained.
“Maybe they feel like they can be an influencer and make a million bucks,” she said. “Or, ‘I can play basketball, and I can make a million bucks.’”
Enter mom and dad. The Hannah Project works family by family, walking them through what their children need to reach college. Some parents have been inspired to go back to school themselves, earning GEDs and college degrees, Hodges-Shelmire said.
Elementary and middle school kids first connect with the Hannah Project through Freedom School, a free summer program that Hodges-Shelmire calls the heart of the organization. About 70 Black and brown students participate each year, though anyone can attend.
Mornings are devoted to reading. During the daily “Drop Everything and Read,” kids pick their own books. The little ones read at least three or four books a week. Older children read and discuss books on more serious subjects.
Nancy Hoang is a Freedom School alum who came back as an intern to teach. Now a senior studying social work at Alabama State University, Hoang says Hodges-Shelmire has influenced who she is today.
“She exposed us to Black history and social justice at an early age, which I feel like is not common, especially in Marin County,” Hoang said.
Freedom School produces results. The Hannah Project reports that pre- and post-testing by an independent evaluator showed 77% of its students gained six months or more in reading level by the end of the term.
Phillip Logan interned at Freedom School while in college and went on to run the program for several years. Last summer, his seven-year-old daughter enrolled for the first time, a “full circle moment,” he said.
The lessons his daughter learned at Freedom School and at home have encouraged her to take initiative and assume leadership roles in her classroom, says Logan.
“It’s just a different level of confidence, especially as a young African American student, that she navigates the world with,” said Logan, a director with the Sausalito Marin City School District.
Classes get harder in high school. The Hannah Project is reviving Homework After Dark, drop-in study sessions for teens. Volunteer tutors are needed, particularly for math and physics.
Hodges-Shelmire is also seeking more individual donors, the only source of funding for college scholarships. Over the years, the Hannah Project has awarded more than $600,000 to Marin City students, she said.
That investment has paid off.
“The [scholarship] money that I received year over year from the Hannah Project was definitely a staple that made college a lot more accessible,” Logan said. “And it’s easier to focus on your studies when you have some economic backing.”
Malachia Hoover received Hannah Project scholarships for years. After earning a doctorate in stem cell biology at Stanford, she now researches treatments for musculoskeletal disorders at BioMarin.
“Ms. Bettie played such a major role in my academic journey,” Hoover told the Pacific Sun in 2023. “In high school, she helped me with SAT prep classes and took me on a Southern California tour to look at colleges.”
Hodges-Shelmire describes the Hannah Project’s work as anti-racist, meant to reverse the impact of racism on the children and families of Marin City, the county’s only historically Black community.
“Nobody is better than you,” she said. “So when you approach your education, understand that you deserve the best because you are the best.”
Homework After Dark meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-6pm, at Bayside MLK Academy, Room 105. To volunteer, donate or learn more, visit thehannahproject.org or call 415.887.9740.
