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Taco Bell Foundation Grant
7/14/2011 9:28:00 AM
More than $21,000 will be awarded to Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club (HHBGC) in the St. Louis area the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens announced. The funds will support real world experience programs that help teens stay in school and graduate towards a better life. HHBGC will serve 435 teens through a Graduate to Go experience grant.
Teens from HHBGC’s Adams Park and Sportsman’s Park Units will receive ACT/SAT prep training, visit local and regional colleges and universities, get on-the-job training through internships at local businesses, and research different majors with staff and family members. Parents/guardians will get assistance with FAFSA and other financial aid forms through the Club’s partnership with College Summit.
“We are honored to be recognized by the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens for our long-time commitment to teen graduation and success,” said Dr. Flint W. Fowler, President. “It’s because of partnerships like this that we are able to offer exciting career and college programs that ultimately help inspire our members to stay committed to earn their high school degree, dream big and be great.”
Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club is part of more than 350 organizations nationwide to receive a portion of a $2.2 million Graduate to Go grant from the Foundation. Graduate To Go™ is a long-term effort, launched by the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens, to raise awareness of the high-school dropout crisis and encourage teens to get their diploma. The initiative funds real-world experiences, such as job training and college preparation, proven to motivate teens to stay in school. Funds were raised through local Taco Bell restaurant owners and its customers.
By the Numbers
The high school dropout rates are staggering in America, with one student dropping out of high school every 26 seconds. More than 30 percent of teens in the U.S. and up to 50 percent of Latinos and African Americans fail to graduate with their class. Dropouts are more likely than high school graduates to be unemployed, in poor health, living in poverty, in prison, or on public assistance.**
“The teen graduation crisis is a major hurdle for America as we strive to remain an innovative and powerful global leader,” said Bob Fulmer, Executive Director Taco Bell Foundation for Teens. “The vital partnerships and programs we are funding today allow Taco Bell to help teens build a foundation for a future success through the vehicle of graduation.”
