BATON ROUGE, La., Jan. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T
announced a $150,000 contribution to
Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG). The funding is part of the
company's signature philanthropic initiative to support student
success, AT&T Aspire, and will support the expansion of the JAG
Louisiana program to an additional 150 underserved high school
students. Last year, Gov. John Bel
Edwards announced that Louisiana would expand the number of Jobs for
America's Graduates programs from 69 to 115 sites for the 2016-2017
school year. With this expansion, Louisiana now ranks among the states with the
highest number of JAG programs in the country.
"I am so grateful to AT&T for joining me in my efforts to
make JAG readily available to more Louisiana students this year," said Gov.
John Bel Edwards. "With their help,
more students in our state will have the support and resources they
need to stay in school and graduate. Their support serves as
recognition of the undeniable success of JAG and a commitment to
invest in Louisiana's future by
investing in our children's futures."
In 2016, Jobs for America's Graduates-Louisiana (JAG-LA)
expanded from 30 to 37 school districts and serves approximately
4,600 middle and high school students, along with out-of-school
youth working to complete a high school equivalency diploma. JAG-LA
will also begin serving students in Type 2 Charter Schools, an
Office of Juvenile Justice alternative school, and will pilot a
program in a virtual charter school for the first time.
Jobs for America's Graduates-Louisiana (JAG-LA) Program is an
affiliate of the National Jobs for America's Graduates Program
(JAG), the nation's largest dropout prevention and recovery program
serving youth 12-21 years of age. JAG-LA provides an educational
setting that promotes academic and skills attainment, civic
responsibility, leadership development and social awareness that is
necessary to become a responsible citizen and productive
worker.
JAG-LA delivers a unique set of services for students with major
obstacles to help them earn a high school diploma. The program also
supports students' pursuing a Career Diploma through early
experiences in foundational career skills and career awareness.
Many elements of the JAG-LA Program that support Jump Star include
curriculum, mentoring, and work-based learning.
"AT&T is committed to building, strengthening and enhancing
the lives of those who live and work in the communities we serve,"
said Sonia Perez, President,
AT&T Louisiana. "With AT&T's more than $1 billion investment in its wired and wireless
networks in Louisiana, we depend
upon organizations like JAG to help develop our future
workforce."
AT&T uses the power of its network to build a better
tomorrow. AT&T Aspire drives innovation in education – through
technology, social innovation and relationships – to ensure all
students have the skills they need to succeed in school and
beyond.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at
AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is committed to
advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives.
Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of
investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote
academic and economic achievement; or address community needs.
AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature philanthropic initiative
that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources
to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee
volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire, we've passed the
$250 million mark on our plan to
invest $350 million in education from
2008-2017.
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.