Cost of Higher Education Out of Reach for Many; The Children's Aid Society Offers Scholarships and Hope

June 7, 2005

Contacts:
Ellen Lubell – (w) 212-949-4938, (c) 917-854-6864
Emily Crossan – (w) 917-286-1548, (c) 201-344-5742

Honorable David N. Dinkins to Present Scholarship

When: Thursday, June 9, 2005
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

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

Who:
The Children’s Aid Society’s E.X.C.E.L. program will honor approximately 35 exceptional high school and college graduates who have participated in Children’s Aid programs in Washington Heights, Harlem and the Bronx. At this annual ceremony, select high school graduates will receive scholarships to help defray the escalating costs of college.

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. student with the highest grade point average, this year a graduate of Temple University with a 3.7 cumulative G.P.A.

As college costs soar and aid to low-income students declines, higher education seems out of reach to an increasing number of youth. Chimire Owsley, a high school senior at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, has combined her drive with the opportunities presented by The Children’s Aid Society to participate in internships and plan for college. She will receive a scholarship Thursday evening and is available for interview.

What:
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.

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 more than 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, visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.