Crispus Attucks Cultural Center, Norfolk. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©
(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA, March 21, 2013 - Crispus Attucks Cultural Center recently received a $25,000 grant from The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Virginia Power.
The grant will help in continuing the mission and development of Crispus Attucks Cultural Center by expanding its award-winning RISE! program to provide comprehensive tutoring to help disadvantaged students master Virginia's standardized tests in reading/language arts and mathematics.
The grant enables RISE is to reinstitute an academic enrichment program that had been suspended for lack of funds. This is one of seven Virginia organizations that received grants from The Dominion Foundation in February, totaling $400,000, to support historical programs and expand programs that better prepare minority students for success.
“Dominion is pleased to support these programs because they are of tremendous benefit to their local communities,” said Paul D. Koonce, chief executive officer of Dominion Virginia Power. “Black History Month is a particularly noteworthy time to honor and support the contributions these organizations make to the cultural and educational life of Virginia.” Starting March 7, the first phase of the RISE tutoring program will serve sixty students at P.B. Young Sr. Elementary School in Norfolk.
Upon successful completion of twenty tutoring hours in the program, each student will receive a NOOK Simple Touch e-reader. The tutoring program aims to encourage reading by using the new technology.
Each week, students will be able to download a free e-book. “It is a valuable tool to motivate students to read and reduce the achievement gap between our students and their counterparts in the 21st century.” says Tonya Evans, P.B. Young Sr. guidance counselor. The RISE! program was created to engage and expose young people to creative learning as a way to develop skills they need to be successful at work, home, and school; better preparing them to make positive contributions to the world. Since its founding in 2005, the program has engaged more than 2,200 young people in dance, music, creative writing, media and visual arts, theatre and technology.
According to Gail Easley, CACC Executive Director, “Improving educational outcomes for all students is an important issue for parents, educators and policymakers. Expanding our education initiatives with tutoring and technology increases the academic and social competence of students which are essential investments not just in the lives of our young people, but in our greater community.
“The powerful impact of the program is illustrated by the fact that ninety percent of its high school participants graduate on time, compared to seventy-six percent of their peers. Chosen from a pool of more than 350 nominations and 50 finalists, RISE! was one of 12 after-school and out-of-school programs across the country to receive the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, which is the highest honor such programs can receive in the United States.
The awards are administered by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
The award honors community-based arts and humanities programs that make a marked difference in the lives of their participants by improving academic scores and graduation rates, enhancing life skills, developing positive relationships with peers and adults, and expressing themselves creatively. Great thanks go to Dominion Virginia Power and The Dominion Foundation for this generous grant.
Charitable giving and volunteerism are an integral part of Dominion Virginia Power’s commitment to the communities it serves. Principally through The Dominion Foundation, Dominion contributes more than $20 million annually to non-profit organizations and schools in the states where it operates. . Foundation grants are funded by shareholder dollars and are not borne by customers.
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