The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation Awards RISE Program Scholarship Grant to Elevate Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) August 04, 2016 -- Elevate Phoenix today announced a $116,000 grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation to provide need-based scholarships and support opportunities for 21 DREAMers. The students are part of Elevate Phoenix’s RISE (Relationships. Instruction. Support. Equipping.) program and do not qualify for public scholarship assistance or have the funds to pursue higher education. The grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will allow them to complete their final years of post-secondary education and help ensure they have the opportunity to graduate with an Associates degree from a community college.
“These students deserve a chance to create a future for themselves,” said entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bob Parsons. “Education is key to allowing DREAMers the opportunity to work towards obtaining their share of the American Dream.”
Each year, Elevate Phoenix assists more than 4,500 at-risk, urban youth through its unique, relationship-based approach. The organization has achieved high-level results including a 98 percent senior graduation rate (compared to the state average of 75.1 percent) and a 90 percent post-secondary entry rate over the last five years. Most of these students are first generation college entries and go on to participate in a variety of educational and cultural enrichment activities both on and off campus.
“The name DREAMers truly fits these young adults because for them college was just a dream, but thanks to The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation getting their degree soon will be a reality,” said Tim Cleary, Elevate Phoenix’s Executive Director. “This grant is tremendously important to our organization because we have worked with these students for many years through our other programs and this will ensure they can complete an Associates degree, pursue higher education if desired and start working towards getting their dream job. “
“We are proud to continue our support of Elevate Phoenix and provide scholarships for these students,” said Renee Parsons. “The education, mentoring and support offered by this organization truly changes the lives of at-risk children in our community.”
Elevate Phoenix’s RISE Program helps low-income students who are at tremendous risk of dropping out of high school to make it through graduation. The program goes on to help them envision and achieve a successful future by assisting with college enrollment, providing support throughout the academic journey and helping them prepare for employment. RISE has maintained a high retention rate of 93 percent over the past four years, student cohorts have a GPA of more than 3.0 and all students in the program are employed. To learn more about Elevate Phoenix and how you can get involved, visit: http://www.ElevatePhoenix.org.
About Elevate Phoenix
Elevate Phoenix is a unique program for Arizona youth. Together with urban public schools and communities we strengthen character, empower knowledge and elevate relationships. Our success is measured by the success of our kids. The Elevate Phoenix curriculum is designed to teach character, life skills, and leadership to urban students. The heart of our success is the work of our team of full-time, primarily ethnic staff who serve as teachers, mentors, and life coaches to students over multiple years. Teacher Mentors are available to students 24/7. Office: 3750 W. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85019 Phone: 602-532-4873 Website: http://www.elevatephoenix.org.
Jazmine Hall, Elevate Phoenix, +1 (480) 510-8708, [email protected]
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