Education opportunities made available for a traditionally underserved population of high school student
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., October 25, 2011 - Today, the Taco Bell ® restaurants in the greater Philadelphia and Harrisburg regions will host the Taco Bell Graduate to Go Philly Workshop, an education symposium designed to provide 500 traditionally underserved teenage students with an opportunity to learn about their post-high school educational opportunities and win one of 11 scholarships. In total, Taco Bell will award $25,000 in scholarship grants. This marks the first time that a regional co-op of Taco Bell restaurant owners have wholly created and funded a Graduate to Go event of this magnitude.
Workshop organizers identified that there is often a lack of higher learning education preparation programs for both high school students from underserved communities and those looking to explore education options outside of the traditional four-year college route. Teenagers are left in the dark about how to start the application process, what schools are the right fit for them and how to access financial aid. The large population of students who want to pursue education outside of traditional colleges are often unaware of the many options that are available to them. This sort of frustration can contribute to the alarming one in three high school dropout rate in the U.S. The Taco Bell Graduate to Go Philly Workshop, was created as part of Taco Bell's National Graduate to Go intiative. Graduate To Go is a long-term effort to raise awareness of the high-school dropout crisis and encourage teens to get their diploma. The initiative funds real-world experiences, such as college preparation, career camps, and job shadows, proven to motivate teens to stay in school.
This one-day event was made possible through a unique corporate, municipal and education partnership. It is expected that this Workshop will become a successful model for how corporations can work with the education community to offer transformative opportunities to teenagers and create the next generation of educated and skilled leaders.
"The Taco Bell restaurant owners in the Philadelphia and Harrisburg regions are to be commended for their outstanding commitment to education and creating this outstanding Workshop," said City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. "Educators and public servants cannot alone provide our students with transformative education opportunities. It takes the ingenuity and determination of corporate partners like Taco Bell to identify a gap in the education community, and then, commit tremendous financial support and resources to fixing it. The Taco Bell Graduate to Go Philly Workshop will greatly benefit hundreds of our local teenagers, as well as, be a game changer in how we approach providing our students with the best resources possible."
All high school juniors and seniors in the 22 Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware counties that the greater Philadelphia and Harrisburg region restaurants serve were eligible to apply for a chance to win a slot to attend the Workshop. Students were asked to clearly demonstrate what their education and career goals are and how winning a scholarship would be beneficial to their life. The winners chosen to attend the Workshop were randomly selected.
The Taco Bell Graduate to Go Philly Workshop will take place in Center City Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. During the day, the attending students will have the chance to attend two interactive workshops and meet with admission representatives from 50 higher learning institutions. The 500 teens will be joined at the Workshop by a number of notable leaders and entertainment personalities, including Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Uncle O from Power 99's The Hot Boyz and keynote speaker Gabe Salazar, a nationally-known youth motivator.
Workshop partners include The Mayor's Office of Education, Philadelphia School District, PhillyGoes2College, Project GRAD, PACAC, Philadelphia Education Fund, Penn State Philadelphia Community Recruitment Center, Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable, PHEAA and CORE Scholarships.
Further information about the Taco Bell Graduate to Philly Workshop can be found at www.tacobellphillyworkshop.com. Statistics on the high school dropout crisis in the U.S. can be found at http://www.graduatetogo.com/TeenDropoutCrisis.html.
###
About the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens
The Taco Bell Foundation, Inc., also known as the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens (TBFT), a non-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, is committed to addressing the growing number of high school dropouts in the U.S. by collaborating with like-minded individuals and organizations to provide at-risk youth with mentors and real-world experiences that will motivate them to stay in school and achieve more in life. Since 1995, TBFT has donated more than $28 million to support teen programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other teen-serving organizations with the help of on-going customer, franchisee and employee donations. For more information about TBFT, visit www.graduatetogo.com and find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/GraduateToGo.
