Take Stock in College Aims to Increase College Completion Rates

An experienced real estate development professional, Kurt Lutgert is the Vice President of the Lutgert Companies in Naples, Florida, and the author of several contemporary spiritual development texts. Outside of work, Kurt Lutgert supports charitable organizations such as Take Stock in Children.

Take Stock in Children works in more than 800 Florida schools to break the cycle of poverty and help students achieve academic success. In light of its success improving high school graduation rates and college attendance, the organization recently launched the Take Stock in College initiative. Utilizing the same concepts as the original TSIC program, Take Stock in College currently employs an ambassador in 40 Florida colleges and universities and aims to increase college graduation rates to 95 percent.

In addition to providing on-site peer support, the program will employ a network of professional college completion coaches to support the efforts of student ambassadors. For more information or to find a participating school, visit http://www.takestockinchildren.org.

The Benefits of Gratitude Practices

An author and licensed spiritual health coach based in Naples, Florida, Kurt Lutgert holds a degree in religion and philosophy from Duke University. In addition to authoring several spiritual development books, Kurt Lutgert spends his free time pursuing practices that include aligning with the light, yoga, and meditation.

Meditation practices that focus on gratitude can be a powerful tool in improving one’s outlook and quality of life. A gratitude meditation practice involves thoughtful contemplation of the things and people you are grateful for, and it can be done at any point during the day. Another piece of a gratitude practice might be maintaining a gratitude journal, in which the act of writing these things down brings them to the forefront of the mind.

The benefits of a gratitude practice are multifold. According to research at Indiana University, expressing gratitude over a four-week period resulted in significant improvements to mental health. Additionally, fMRI scans of brain activity in subjects practicing gratitude revealed greater sensitivity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with decision-making and learning.