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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dawn A. Jones
August 9, 2006 215-704-2615
Dawn@kdcomm.com

CELEBRATING CORE PHILLY DAY AT CITY HALL ON JUNE 12

Congressman Chaka Fattah, Mayor Street , Paul Vallas To Recognize Scholars

Congressman Chaka Fattah, Mayor Street , Paul Vallas, over 3,600 invited Philadelphia high school seniors, previous CORE Philly scholars and college administrators will celebrate CORE Philly Day on Monday, June 12, 2006 , 1 p.m. at City Hall, Dilworth Plaza .

CORE Philly Day is a celebration of achievement by the young people of Philadelphia - past, present and future. It is also a celebration of Philadelphia 's future as a city that promotes a college-going culture for all its young people, a city that looks forward to an increasingly educated workforce.

CORE Philly Day will feature Congressman Fattah, who created the CORE Philly scholarship program; Mayor Street ; Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia – and the students themselves. The theme is “ CORE Philly: Forging Philadelphia's Future, One Student at a Time.”

As part of the program, the School District will announce the winner of College Madness, in which high schools compete for a $10,000 prize based students' preparation and application for post-secondary education.

Since its inception with the Class of 2004, CORE Philly has awarded over $9 million to assist over four thousand Philadelphia students with scholarships for their first year of college.

It is the only program in the nation that makes scholarship dollars available to every graduating high school senior who attends one of 20 state-related colleges or universities. Each of this year's class of 3,600 CORE scholars will receive $1,000 to $3,000 to pursue higher education.

“Our children are our most valuable asset. Their future and the future of the City of Philadelphia have brighter promise because of the opportunities afforded by a college education," said Congressman Fattah.

“A college degree is invaluable. It will increase lifetime earnings by more than one million dollars over the earnings of those who stop at high school,” Congressman Fattah said. “CORE Philly scholarships open this door to every graduate of the Class of 2006 in Philadelphia , whether that student's school was public or charter, parochial or private.”

The Sallie Mae Fund provides support for fundraising towards the CORE Philly Trust and provides free workshops on financial aid and college preparation in-kind. The Educational Advancement Alliance underwrites programmatic support and postsecondary outreach support. The Philadelphia Education Fund processes and manages CORE Philly Scholarship applications.

“The benefits of higher education are significant, as it is becoming more and more important in accessing the fields and jobs with the most opportunity for advancement and rewards,” commented CORE Philly Executive Director Thomas Butler. “CORE impacts not only high school students, but the city and region as a whole. Easing the pathway from high school to college will create a better educated workforce and help make Philadelphia a more competitive and desirable place to live, work and raise a family.”

CORE Philly is a not-for-profit program that combines funding from the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia, providing “last dollar” scholarships to enable Philadelphia high school seniors attending public, charter, parochial and private schools to pursue higher education opportunities at one of the following institutions of higher education: Bloomsburg, California University of PA, Cheyney, Clarion, Community College of Philadelphia, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana University of PA, Kutztown, Lincoln, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Penn College of Technology, Penn State, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, Temple, the University of Pittsburgh and West Chester.