CHOICES Education Group Receives $50,000 Grant from UPS Foundation to Fund New Dropout Prevention Programs
(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Seattle, WA - August 12, 2010 - The CHOICES Education Group, a Seattle-based social enterprise, announced today it has received a $50,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS (NYSE: UPS). The UPS Foundation grant will be used to fund new dropout prevention programs in communities nationwide. CHOICES Education Group is now searching for Chambers of Commerce and Rotary Clubs who would like to launch a dropout prevention program with the use of these funds.
This represents the seventh consecutive year of CHOICES support by The UPS Foundation, which has already helped CHOICES serve 51,330 students in 33 states in the last six years, and brings their total support for CHOICES to $275,000. The new grant will serve more than 10,000 students nationwide that would otherwise not have access to the program.
CHOICES is an interactive decision-making workshop that empowers teens to achieve academic success in pursuit of their career and life aspirations. In two hour-long sessions, business and community volunteers take students through real-world exercises on academic self-discipline, time and money management and goal setting. Volunteers from the business community facilitate the program, bringing their real-life experiences right into the classroom and serving as positive adult role models for the students.
“Every school day 7,000 students become dropouts. This grant allows us to get more Chambers and Rotaries out there in the schools to help stop this epidemic.” said Leo Muller, Executive Director of the national not-for-profit. “We are so thankful for the continued support from the UPS Foundation.”
“The fundamentals of financial literacy are an essential part of educating the leaders of tomorrow,” adds The UPS Foundation Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations Ed Martinez. “The CHOICES money management exercise presents students with the financial realities of dropping out of school--a concept teens need to understand in order to positively impact their communities and their lives.”
The CHOICES workshop is currently being delivered to more than 700 teens every school day by 1,500 volunteers in 40 states--at a cost of less than $5 per teen! Through their social enterprise business model, CHOICES Education Group licenses CHOICES to businesses, chambers of commerce and service clubs for an annual program fee based on the number of students served, and then provides the training, materials and support needed to implement and manage the program in local communities.
About CHOICES Education Group
CHOICES Education Group is an independent 501c (3) nonprofit social enterprise started in 1985 with initial funding from Pacific Northwest Bell (now Qwest Communications). CHOICES has been delivered to more than 6 million students since 1985. For 25 years, the organization’s mission has been to empower teens to make positive educational CHOICES that will increase their career and life opportunities. More information about CHOICES is available at www.choices.org or by calling 1-888-CHOICES (1-888-246-4237).
About The UPS Foundation
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain and freight services. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. UPS promotes community involvement through its ongoing volunteerism and grant programs, environmental sustainability and corporate philanthropy. In 2009, UPS’s charitable contributions totaled nearly $100 million and UPS employees and their families contributed more than 1.2 million hours of volunteer service. The company can be found on the web at UPS.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.
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