State Farm Companies Foundation Increases Support, Furthers Commitment to Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The State Farm Companies Foundation increased its investment and involvement in the Latino community today with a major, annual contribution of $285,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. The latest financial support from the State Farm Companies Foundation will create additional scholarships and community education programs for Latinos this year.

“We are excited about expanding our long-established partnership with the State Farm Companies Foundation,” said Frank D. Alvarez, HSF President and CEO. “This grant demonstrates the foundation’s commitment to improving access to higher education for everyone.”

State Farm and the State Farm Companies Foundation are working with HSF to provide more scholarships, to present more informational and educational events, and, in general, to promote higher education among Hispanics through more community involvement. First, this grant creates the HSF/State Farm Companies Foundation Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to Latinos, in their junior and senior years enrolled in four-year institutions, pursuing careers in education.

In addition to scholarships, State Farm’s investment further expands HSF’s capacity to engage and support Latino students seeking the education they need to become future professionals. As the leader in this field, HSF knows college-going promotion, conditioning and outreach efforts in the Latino community are also critical. The expanded partnership will include a series of seven Town Hall Meetings in selected areas of California. These two-hour, completely bilingual sessions introduce students and their families to HSF and explain the basic steps necessary to prepare for college.

In an endeavor to begin conditioning Latino and families and promote discussion of going to college, the State Farm Corporation is sponsoring with HSF a student essay contest in California. The theme of the essays is “Education – A Gift That Lasts a Lifetime,” and 18 winning students, ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade, will each receive an award of $1,000.

Since 1989, the State Farm Companies Foundation has contributed more than $750,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

“This increased level of commitment to the remarkable students and families that HSF supports is just one of the many ways in which State Farm seeks to improve the vibrancy and strength of the communities in which we live and work,” said Rand Harbert, Senior Vice President for State Farm in California. He added, “we hope this contribution will make an impact in the lives of these students, their families and ultimately our state.”

HSF President Alvarez said, “We sincerely appreciate State Farm Companies Foundation’s willingness to invest in Hispanic youth through HSF, as we work to double the rate of Hispanics earning a college degree. Working together with companies and foundations like these, we will positively impact the future and move closer to our goal of strengthening America by generating more Latino college graduates.”

About Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Founded in 1975 as a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization, HSF’s vision is to strengthen the country by advancing college education among Hispanic Americans. In support of its mission to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees, HSF provides the Latino community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. During the 2006-2007 academic year, HSF awarded nearly 4,200 scholarships exceeding $26.5 million. In its 32-year history, HSF has awarded more than 82,000 scholarships worth over $221 million to Latinos attending nearly 2,000 colleges and universities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information about the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, please visit www.hsf.net.

About State Farm Companies Foundation
The State Farm Companies Foundation was established in 1963 as an independent private foundation and is primarily committed to education, helping to raise the level of student achievement in our elementary and secondary schools. The State Farm Companies Foundation provides funding for its education initiatives in the following areas: K-12 public schools, service learning and teacher excellence. For more information about the State Farm Companies Foundation, please visit www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/part_spos.asp.

About State Farm
State Farm(R) insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm’s 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 76 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com(R) or in Canada statefarm.ca(R).”*

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