Employees Community Fund Awards Grant
The Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis Awards $10,000 Grant to Access Academies
ST. LOUIS, MO. July 28, 2015 – Access Academies has received a one-year, $10,000 grant from the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of Boeing St. Louis in endorsement of the Graduate Support Program, which provides counseling and resources for Academy graduates as they pursue their secondary and post-secondary educational and career aspirations.
The ECF of Boeing St. Louis is an employee-owned and -directed giving program that allows employees to support the needs of the St. Louis community via tax-deductible recurring payroll deductions or one-time gifts. Boeing pays all administrative costs for the ECF so that 100 percent of every employee dollar contributed supports the community.
“We would like to thank Boeing, and its employees, for their support,” said Betsy Liberatore, Executive Director of Access Academies. “The funds will be used to provide much-needed assistance to the mission and work of our Graduate Support Directors.”
Since the establishment of Access Academies in 2005, Graduate Support Directors have been partnered with Archdiocesan middle schools to provide critical academic, social, and emotional support for low-income and/or minority students and their families for the next seven years of their educational journey. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Collaborating with school-based leadership and faculty to oversee the extended school day and mandatory summer school programs through the Access middle school Academy
• Working with middle school students and their families to find a college-preparatory high school that fits the student’s unique personality and learning style. This includes high school visits, application support, financial guidance, and more through the Access middle school Academy
• Transitioning Academy graduates from middle school to high school. This includes, but is not limited to, consistent high school visits, tutoring, mentoring, tuition scholarships, and monitoring each student’s individual academic growth and achievement through all four years of high school
• Providing post-secondary counseling and support for Academy graduates through college tours, ACT test prep, college application and essay support, and FAFSA counseling, as well as paying for all ACT tests and college applications
Impressively, more than 600 low-income students have benefited from the Graduate Support Directors’ support and services. What’s more, during the 2014-15 school year, 98% of Academy graduates were admitted to private, college-preparatory high schools; 99% graduated on-time; and 94% were accepted to a post-secondary institution.
For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for Access Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.