The College Crusade of Rhode Island Receives $2.7 Million GEAR UP Grant to Support College Readiness

Launches campaign to raise matching funds from RI private sector

Providence, R.I., October 11, 2007 – The College Crusade of Rhode Island announced it has received a $2.7 million federal GEAR UP grant to support college-readiness programs and services for Rhode Island youth this year. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a U.S. Department of Education initiative designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

The College Crusade implements GEAR UP programming in Rhode Island as part of the state’s overall education strategy to increase college-attendance rates. At the direction of Governor Donald Carcieri, GEAR UP funds are awarded to The College Crusade through the Office of Higher Education.

To secure a GEAR UP grant, organizations must match the amount dollar-for-dollar with contributions from local sources. The College Crusade has already obtained substantial matching funds for the GEAR UP grant from the State of Rhode Island and from scholarships donated by 56 public and private colleges in the United States. The organization must raise an additional $265,000 in private funds to meet grant requirements and ensure that GEAR UP funding will be available to provide college-readiness programs and services for Rhode Island’s most disadvantaged students.

“GEAR UP funding allows The College Crusade to make a measurable difference in the lives of low-income students in Rhode Island,” said Mary Sylvia Harrison, president and CEO of The College Crusade. “Our unique programs and services keep young people on the path to college, often in the face of underperforming schools and challenging personal circumstances. We warmly acknowledge the efforts of Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin in helping us to secure this major grant award from GEAR UP. We now request additional support from the community to help take advantage of this tremendous opportunity to educate Rhode Island youth.”

“I am proud to have helped secure GEAR UP funding for The College Crusade of Rhode Island,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI). “The College Crusade is an outstanding organization that helps young people from low-income families prepare for college and succeed once they get there. This money will enable them to expand their efforts and reach out to more students,” noted Reed, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee which oversees federal spending on education programs. Senator Reed has consistently fought to secure federal funding for GEAR UP grants. “The economic future of Rhode Island depends on an educated and highly-skilled workforce. This program will help ensure that more of our students reach their full academic and economic potential.”

“Education is the road to opportunities and to fulfilling a lifelong dream or goal,” said Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). “The College Crusade has made that possible for countless Rhode Islanders by providing the support services necessary to persevere, even under trying conditions, towards a college degree. This grant from GEAR UP is an important investment in the lives of future generations and in the strength of our communities.”

GEAR UP funds awarded to The College Crusade underwrite support for:

• College Crusade Advisors, who provide academic and personal advice to students and serve as positive role models and advocates
• Yearlong academic, social, and personal enrichment services for over 4,000 middle school and high school students in Providence, Central Falls, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket
• College scholarships for financially eligible high school graduates

The College Crusade of Rhode Island is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization originally founded in 1989 as the Rhode Island Children’s Crusade for Higher Education. It was one of the first programs in the country to combine early, sustained support for disadvantaged youth with the incentive of a college scholarship. The U.S. Department of Education used The College Crusade as a model in developing the GEAR UP initiative in the late 1990s. Since that time, the federal government has invested $2.4 billion in 215 programs in 48 states that share The College Crusade’s pioneering vision of providing consistent support and college scholarships for disadvantaged youth.

About The College Crusade of Rhode Island

The College Crusade of Rhode Island is the state’s most comprehensive college-readiness and scholarship program for middle school and high school students in low-income school districts. It serves over 4,000 students per year and rewards the efforts and achievements of financially eligible students with up to four years of college scholarships. Since 2001, The College Crusade has awarded over $16 million in college scholarships to nearly 2,500 graduates of Rhode Island high schools. For more information, please visit www.thecollegecrusade.org.

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