— Donation to help fund “Project Ready” College Preparatory Program
State Senator Gerald Neal and AT&T Kentucky President Hood Harris joined Louisville Urban League President & CEO Ben Richmond today to announce a $20,000 contribution from AT&T to support the organization’s “Project Ready College Transition Youth Program.” The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of the Louisville Urban League’s annual George “GG” Johnson Charity Golf Scramble at Shawnee Golf Course on June 13, 2014.
Project Ready, a program of the Louisville Urban League’s Youth Development and Education Department, is designed to inspire and prepare middle and high school students to pursue a college education. The program includes a variety of elements—such as individual goal planning, academic enrichment, cultural development and career exploration experiences—that help the students transition into college.
“Project Ready has been offered at various locations including the Louisville Urban League’s West Broadway headquarters for more than 10 years. Integrating a robust Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) focus in its out-of-school-time (OST) curriculum, Project Ready prepares economically disadvantaged youth to graduate college ready to pursue a successful college and occupational career. The projected program impact of Project Ready will result in academic improvement, increased school attendance, increased advanced placement courses taken, and decreased school suspensions/drop outs for the students we serve. The ultimate impact of the program will be a better educated workforce in our community that is prepared for economic challenges and opportunities presented by the new economy.
“Education is the great equalizer and key to our youth’s future. Programs like Project Ready are critical to our efforts to build a culture within our community that emphasizes the values of continuing education,” said Richmond. “Having support from our elected leaders like Sen. Neal and local companies like AT&T is critical to our ability to ensure that students throughout Louisville have the opportunity to develop and grow personally and professionally.”
The contribution to the Louisville Urban League was made through the AT&T Aspire program. With more than 1 million students impacted since its launch in 2008, the AT&T Aspire program is one of the largest corporate commitments focused on helping more students graduate from high school ready for college and careers. In 2012, AT&T announced an additional quarter-billion-dollar expansion to the program, bringing the total commitment to $350 million.
