For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
America’s Promise Alliance Awards Business Engagement Grants to Five Communities
Funds will Help Engage Business Community in Reducing Dropout Rates
WASHINGTON –America’s Promise Alliance (the Alliance) today announced it has awarded five business engagement grants in the amounts of $8,500 to $10,000 each to Detroit, MI; Jackson, MS; Louisville, KY; Nashville, TN; and New Orleans, LA. These grants will be used to help engage more local businesses in the communities’ dropout prevention efforts. The five grantees were selected through a competitive request for proposals process, which was made possible through a grant from Alliance founding partner the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The purpose of this grant program is to help educate business leaders about the dropout crisis and what’s being done to address it in their communities. It also seeks to engage businesses as active contributors and drivers of the solutions to the crisis. The grant funds will provide financial support to convene local business engagement summits. The funds will also support ongoing technical assistance from Alliance staff, including communications and benchmark and goal development for the communities’ overall business engagement strategies.
“The dropout crisis is as much an economic issue as an educational one and the business community is uniquely impacted by the young people who do not finish high school,” said Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO, America’s Promise Alliance. “Whether it is the costs associated with remedial training, or the lack of a talented available workforce, helping our young people see the link between the classroom and a career is a proven way to decrease dropout rates, and who better to help us do that than the business community themselves?”
· Detroit, MI: Headed by the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, the grant will be used to recruit the resources, talent and time of the business community to address specific gaps and needs within the five schools participating in the Greater Detroit Educational Venture Fund’s turnaround program. The community will host a “Career Day at Cody High School,” which will both facilitate interaction between business leaders and students as well as serve as an entry point for businesses to become part of the work of the Fund to improve graduation rates.
· Jackson, MS: Headed by the United Way of the Capital Area, the grant will be used to increase business engagement and support for students at three area high schools with a large number of students in need and their corresponding middle and elementary schools. The grant will fund an all-day event for these students that will include high school tours, lunch with students and CEOs, a discussion on career exploration, information on job training and internship opportunities, and a networking reception with business leaders, school administrators and elected officials.
· Louisville, KY: Headed by Greater Louisville, Inc., the grant will be used to hold a half-day convening of 100 business leaders to present their new Education Plan/Compact and share findings of a telephone survey of adults and students in grades 7-12 about attitudes toward education and specifically college. Greater Louisville will also preview an education campaign based on the findings of that survey, and announce a “Call to Action” for business leaders. Businesses will also be asked to adopt a high school where they will serve as mentors, and provide students with internships and funds for a college visiting or college prepatory program.
· Nashville, TN: Headed by Alignment Nashville, the grant will be used to help create a Career Academy Master Plan. They will also host an event where they can showcase this plan and better educate the public about what it means to prepare students for the future workforce and working with the new high school career academies in the community. Businesses will be presented with a menu of options for possible engagement, including serving on the Alignment Nashville Partnership Council, providing teacher externships and student internships, participating in a 2010 career fair and serving as a career mentor for students.
· New Orleans, LA: Headed by the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area, the grant will be used to host events and fund activities that help build on the work already underway as a result of the New Orleans’ Solutions Summit held in early 2010. As part of this grant, the community will bring together representatives from the local business community for a half-day educational event to build awareness of and to discuss opportunities for their engagement in the city’s dropout prevention work including recruiting more businesses to offer job internships and become mentors for young people. They will also hold mini career fairs and career development workshops at 10 high schools.
###
About America’s Promise Alliance
America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. Through the collective power of our partner network, we raise awareness, support communities and engage in nonpartisan advocacy to ensure that young people receive more of the fundamental resources they need to graduate high school prepared for college, work and life. Building on the legacy of our Founding Chairman General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of our young people is grounded in the Five Promises—caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others. For more information about America’s Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org.