Marcy King is providing the financial oversight necessary for the New Beginnings $1 Million Campaign.The year-long fundraiser hopes to raise $500,000 in support of Mirrors’ community programme for 19- to 24-year-old men. Another $500,000 will be directed at educational grants for young people who have come through personal development programmes like Mirrors and De Boys Day Out Club.This newspaper’s partner in the initiative, the New Beginnings Education Trust, is watched over by trustees like Ms King, senior financial officer for HWP.“As part of my role in the trust, I make sure that the funds that come in and then how those funds are used is all recorded and allocated correctly,” she explained.The campaign is important for Bermuda, she said.“It focuses on a sector of our community where investment is critical — if we can make strides in that area, and give our at-risk youth the opportunity to turn things around for themselves, the by-product is a stronger community.”Through Mirrors volunteer, Kerry Judd, Ms King is familiar with Mirrors’ potential for social change.“Mirrors is a starting point. People who want to pursue their education after Mirrors might not have access to funding and therefore, the opportunity to finish their education, such as getting their GED or going on to further education like trade schools or university. Most of the young people that the education trust focuses on could not take advantage of existing scholarship programmes — which focus on academic achievements and other achievements in community volunteering or in sports — because of challenges in their lives so far, be it because of their grades, their perceived lack of community involvement or past choices they have made which may not have been overly productive.“People are judged on their history. Your average scholarship committee is not going to consider most of these particular people.“I see fundraising from both sides. On the corporate side, in my day-to-day business here, we receive charitable requests on a regular basis. Because of the economic times, we must carefully consider them. And on the fundraising side, it’s crucial to provide people with a good understanding of what our programme is about, where the funds will go, and to show our results so people can see what it was used for and who benefited from those funds.”She added: “As Kerry would say, it’s not a donation. It’s an investment in the future of our Country.”