Contacts:
Sean McDonnell, Cargill, 952-742-6245 (office), 612-889-3297 (cell)
Dan Haugen, Neighborhood Involvement Program, 612-746-8540
Cargill Scholars® Celebrate Successful Conclusion of Five-Year Program with “Night of the Stars” Event
Educational enrichment program for Minneapolis-area students culminates on Thursday, July 13, with Nicollet Island Pavilion event
Minneapolis - The 50 eighth-grade participants in the Cargill Scholars® program will be recognized for their educational achievement in a gala event, “Night of the Stars.”
For the past five years, the Cargill Scholars have complemented their classroom education in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs by participating in a comprehensive educational-development and enrichment program designed to improve their academic achievement. Most of the 50 Cargill Scholars (26 girls and 24 boys) live below the poverty line and were in the bottom 25 percent of their class in reading and math when selected for the program. The goal of the Cargill Scholars program is to ensure that participating students would graduate from high school and enroll in a post-secondary institution.
The Cargill Scholars will now become participants in Destination 2010, the educational enrichment program of The Minneapolis Foundation.
Essentials
What:
“Night of the Stars” event celebrating the 50 Cargill Scholars
When:
Thursday, July 13, 2006, 5:30-6:15 (reception); 6:15-8:30 (dinner)
Who:
50 Cargill Scholars recognized for successfully completing the program
Warren Staley, chair and CEO, Cargill
Greg Page, president and COO, Cargill
Where:
Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power St., Minneapolis
Video/Photo Opportunities:
6:15 p.m.: The 50 Cargill Scholars make a red-carpet entrance into Nicollet Island Pavilion
6:20 p.m.: Opening remarks from Greg Page, president and COO, Cargill
7:50 p.m.: Closing remarks from Warren Staley, chair and CEO, Cargill
Also, multiple opportunities to show Cargill Scholars with parents, siblings and other family members and friends attending, as well as with executives and employees from Cargill. Cargill employees who served as a Big Brother or Big Sister to the Cargill Scholars will also be attending.
About the Cargill Scholars Program:
Throughout its five-year existence, the Cargill Scholars program has been administered and run by the Neighborhood Involvement Program, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit agency that seeks to strengthen individuals and the community by providing education, health care and social services to local uninsured and underinsured residents.
Funded by a grant from the Cargill Foundation, the Cargill Scholars program was initiated to determine how foundations and corporations could positively impact childhood learning by providing educational resources directly to students, as opposed to resources delivered at the institutional level. Through a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities, Cargill employees also assisted with the program, serving as a Big Brother or Big Sister to each of the 50 Cargill Scholars.
The Wilder Research Center, which has been studying the program and its participants for the past five years, reports several gains among the students, including heightened interest in academics and academic achievement, greater interest in extracurricular activities and improved social skills with peers and adults.
About the Cargill Foundation:
The Cargill Foundation is committed to helping the next generation succeed in school, work and life. Through two primary focus areas and unique education partnerships, the Foundation supports organizations and programs that foster academic success and develop necessary life skills that enable socio-economically disadvantaged young people to thrive in their lives and careers.