The Children's Aid Society Honors Academic Achievers

June 12, 2007

Scholarships Help Defray Spiraling Costs of Higher Education

Honorable David N. Dinkins to Present Scholarship at Ceremony

Contact:
Ellen Lubell, The Children's Aid Society, (w) 212-949-4938, (c) 917-854-6864
Emily Crossan, The Children’s Aid Society, (w) 917-286-1548, (c) 201-344-5742

When:
Thursday, June 14, 2007
5:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Reception
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Ceremony

Where:
Consolidated Edison Company of New York
4 Irving Place (at 14th Street)
Auditorium

What:
The Children's Aid Society’s E.X.C.E.L.* program will honor 60 exceptional high school and college graduates who have participated in Children’s Aid programs in Washington Heights, Harlem and the Bronx. As college costs soar and aid to low-income students declines, higher education becomes out of reach to an increasing number of youth.

Forty-one high school graduates – up from 20 last year – will receive scholarships to help defray the escalating costs of college. These scholarships are provided by Children’s Aid, individual donors and corporate sponsors.

* The Children's Aid Society’s E.X.C.E.L. (Educational Excellence Creating Empowered Leaders) is a comprehensive educational and life skills program whose mission is to engage students, ages 13-21, in a breadth of services geared towards preparing them for college and promoting their future success. Students receive services in four main concentration areas – academics, social adjustment, cultural awareness and financial literacy.

The Honorable David N. Dinkins, former Mayor of the City of New York, will present a scholarship in memory of his father to the E.X.C.E.L. college graduate with the highest grade point average. In addition, 19 recent college graduates, all E.X.C.E.L. participants since high school, will be recognized for their college achievements.

RSVP necessary to gain access to the ConEd Building – please call Emily Crossan at 917-286-1548 if you would like to attend.

The Children’s Aid Society was founded in 1853. It is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving over 150,000 of New York’s neediest children and their families with a network of services that includes community schools, neighborhood centers, camps, adoption and foster care services, teen pregnancy prevention, education, health and recreation. For additional information, please call 212-949-4938 or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.

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