LULAC Receives $1 Million Grant From AT&T

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) announced today that LULAC will receive a $1 million grant from the AT&T Foundation’s Aspire initiative, to implement LULAC’s Adelante America program, which will provide academic classes, mentoring and student leadership development for underserved, at-risk Latino teens in grades eight through 10. “This important educational initiative in our community will help ensure that our nation’s rich high-tech future and digital empowerment is within reach of our Latino youth,” said LULAC president Rosa Rosales. “A good education is the key to a successful future. And as a long-time leader in broadband and mobile communications, and a long-term dependable partner of the Hispanic community, AT&T is once again demonstrating their corporate leadership by keeping the American Dream accessible to Latino students all across the country.” The $1 million grant will be spread out over two years and will serve a total of 910 at-risk participants in the eighth through the 10th grade. The Adelante America program will develop services and activities that will link classroom learning with the challenges that students face in post-secondary education and the workplace of the future. The goals include increasing rates of on-time promotion to the next grade; improvement of academic performance as measured by grades and test scores; improvement of interpersonal relationships between the children and their peers, teachers, family and other adults; reduction of the dropout rate, delinquency and gang involvement; and achieving a higher graduation rate for its participants. “As one of the most well-respected advocacy organizations in the country, LULAC will help ensure that Latino students have the tools they need to live up to their maximum educational potential,” said Susan Santana, assistant vice president, External Affairs, AT&T. “We are honored to play a small part in helping today’s Latino youth become tomorrow’s world leaders.” The AT&T Foundation’s Aspire program was launched earlier this year, in an attempt to address the fact that nearly one-third of U.S. high school students drop out every year, which amounts to one student dropping out every 26 seconds — a disproportionate number of whom are Hispanics. The $100 million philanthropic effort announced in April reflects AT&T’s commitment to help to strengthen student success and workforce readiness. Currently, Latinos are vastly underperforming when compared with other groups. The percentage of adults over the age of 25 that has earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, is 27.2 percent. Among Latinos, that percentage is only 12.2 percent. In addition, Hispanic secondary school students have the highest dropout rates of any ethnic or racial group in the U.S. “*

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