In 2014, Watchtower Security helped establish the Towers of Excellence Foundation with the intention of empowering and inspiring today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders. Through mentorship programs, at-risk youths are assisted in discovering a successful path to high school, college, and beyond.
In the five years since it was founded, the Towers of Excellence Foundation has grown exponentially. They are now serving 19 middle school students at the Catalyst School and five high school students at select schools throughout Chicago. Their mentor roster has grown as well with six mentors now helping to guide and support the students. 
This year, the 6th-grade group is learning and working to apply the foundation’s core values, BeSMART (Be Self-Aware, Mindful, Authentic, Responsible and Tenacious), to their daily lives. The 7th-grade students are creating “Road-maps to Success” to help them explore high school and college choices as well as career possibilities. The 8th-grade students received Chromebooks this year. With the Chromebook, they will be learning how to code, write a grant, and are to begin working on a podcast for the Towers of Excellence Foundation. Next month, the high school students are returning to Catalyst to meet with the younger students and discuss what to expect when transitioning into high school.
The students have also been taking part in some life-enriching activities. They have attended a Chicago Bulls basketball game and worked together to solve puzzles at the Great Escape Room. Later this year, they will be attending a Broadway play and learning about college by visiting the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For more information about the Towers of Excellence Foundation and how you can help further their important mission, please visit www.towersofexcellence.org. Also, stay up to date with everything happening by following Towers of Excellence Foundation on Twitter (@TowersofExcel), Facebook (@towersofexcellence), and Instagram (@Towersofexcellence).