Project GRAD Atlanta, Inc. To Engage Community Volunteers

ATLANTA- October 17, 2012 Project GRAD Atlanta, Inc. in conjunction with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s Atlanta Partners For Education (APFE) will host a Project for a Day on October 23, 2012, focused on preparing high school juniors and seniors for college and career at each of the ten Atlanta Public Schools.  The Project GRAD Atlanta College and Career Project For a Day will help 11^th and 12^th grade students become more college-aware, college prepared, and career exposed.  Participating students will engage with volunteers provided by APFE, in each school’s College and Career Center and/or Media Center, to develop college essays, complete college applications, gain a greater understanding of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion process, and make critical connections between career possibilities, based upon their intended college majors or subject-area interests.

Project GRAD Atlanta will coordinate the day’s activities and facilitate the schools’ implementation of this project via its college readiness staff.  The Project GRAD Atlanta College and Career Project For a Day will utilize the support of GRAD’s school-based staff, to pre-identify students in need of assistance in developing college essays and/or applications and assist with post-event, monitoring students and their progress on assigned college and scholarship application tasks.  Corporate volunteers recruited by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce will assist Project GRAD Atlanta and Atlanta Public Schools’ staff in working with students to complete essay writing and the college application process.  These volunteers will also have the opportunity to participate in two follow-up sessions with the students on November 6, 2012 and January 7, 2013 to help students finalize their college applications, scholarship application essays, and incomplete FAFSAs.
About Project GRAD Atlanta

Project GRAD Atlanta is a non-profit organization whose mission is to collaborate with the Atlanta Public Schools in order to increase the number of students graduating from high school and college.  Project GRAD Atlanta implements and supports research-based college readiness and access programs in high schools, and provides scholarships and academic support to students on college campuses, where the combined impact makes a real difference.

Over the past twelve years, Project GRAD Atlanta has successfully increased graduation rates, created a rigorous college-going culture, and inspired Atlanta students, parents, teachers and communities to envision and achieve new possibilities for collegiate success.  As a result of GRAD’s proliferation of a college-bound culture within the Atlanta Public Schools, over 2,000 Brumley-GRAD Scholarship recipients have earned the opportunity to attend two-year and four-year colleges across the country.   GRAD provides up to $4,000 in college scholarships to all students who qualify, and helps these students access appropriate financial, social and academic resources and support, so that they can successfully graduate from college.  Project GRAD Atlanta is proud to be a scholarship-granting organization that has awarded over $2 million in scholarships, to date.

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