UNCF’s Empower Me Tour Presented by Target, Coming to the Rochester, New York Riverside Convention Center on November 14th
ROCHESTER, NY (PRWEB) November 14, 2016 -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund) in partnership with Target and Wells Fargo, will bring its nationwide Empower Me Tour (EMT) to Rochester, NY on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. The tour was created eight years ago by Wells Fargo to inspire students to take control of their futures by pursuing a four-year college degree and graduating with an education that prepares them for the challenges they will face in the 21st century and beyond. Over 900 high school students from the Rochester City School District are expected to participate in a day comprised of admissions and financial aid workshops facilitated by award-winning authors, motivational speakers and presenters. Recruiters from some of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will be on hand to offer onsite admissions to the universities and academic scholarships.
The EMT kicked-off in Minneapolis, MN before heading to Chicago, IL followed by Oakland, CA with a total of 553 students admitted to a UNCF-member historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and $3,008,157 representing 216 scholarship awards. The UNCF EMT rewards students of color for their high academic achievements with four-year scholarships to help them get to and through college. There are 7,878 students enrolled in grades 9-12 in the Rochester City School District from 25 schools that will register students to attend the United Negro College Fund’s Empower Me Tour.
In the Rochester City School District, almost 90% of the student population represents “students of color”, whereas, more than half of the entire student population does not graduate in four or five years of high school. UNCF’s Empower Me Tour is critical to building partnerships with school districts like Rochester public schools where challenges are great and may appear hopeless for students, parents and teachers, said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF President/CEO. The Empower Tour brings HBCUs in one day transforms the lives of high school students who may enter the convention center without being able to see past the challenges of living in the lowest poverty school district in the entire state of New York, to leaving with acceptance to an HBCU and a four-year scholarship award.
"Target is honored to sponsor UNCF’s Empower Me Tour and to help transform young lives through the power of education," said Laysha Ward, executive vice president and chief corporate social responsibility officer at Target. "By helping kids graduate from high school and get into and through college, we're helping to provide a pathway to more opportunities."
“The UNCF Empower Me Tour makes the dream of higher education a reality for many young people in America by equipping students and parents with the information, tools and resources they need,” said Gigi Dixon, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Wells Fargo. “Wells Fargo is pleased to team up with UNCF once again to provide these essential resources for students and their families so that they can make informed decisions about how they will get to and through college successfully.”
“Our supporters’ commitment and financial support to UNCF and EMT helps black students get through college successfully is highly commendable, grounded in shared values and is very much appreciated,” said David Cox, regional development director, UNCF New York. “Our partners truly know the value of supporting communities by providing the opportunity of higher education. Target is a leading sponsor in enabling UNCF to close the education gap that divides communities and perpetuates poverty. These goals would not be possible without support from partners like Target, FedEx, P&G and our founding sponsor, Wells Fargo.”
Empower Me Tour Rochester
New York Riverside Convention Center
Monday, November 14, 2016
123 E Main St.
Rochester, New York 14604
8:30am – 2:00pm
Parent Workshop
East High School
6:00pm – 8:30pm
1801 E. Main St.
For more information on the UNCF Empower Me Tour, visit http://www.EmpowerMeTour.org.
Instagram: @UNCF. . . #EmpowerMeTour | Twitter: @UNCF . . .#EmpowerMeTour
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Cynetra Mcmillian, UNCF, http://www.uncf.org, +1 (202) 854.0007, [email protected]
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