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Foundation leaders realized in 2001 that to enhance Patrick
County’s attractiveness to new employers, we must significantly raise the percentage
of County adults with a high school education. According to the 2000 U. S. Census,
43% or 6,000 Patrick County adults 21 and older do not have a high school diploma. The Foundation
set as one of its goals “to increase the number of adults with a high school
diploma or higher level of education”.
To reach our goal by 2011, the Foundation
is partnering with the Adult Education Department of Patrick
County Public Schools, the agency that provides the GED program
in Patrick County, to increase the number of GED recipients
each year.
In Fall 2002, the Foundation launched
the GED Promotion Project. This initiative focuses exclusively
on marketing and promoting the existing GED program in order
to raise the number of County adults with a high school diploma.
To accomplish this, the Foundation continually seeks new ways
to encourage busy adults to go back to school to get their GED. Since the program
began in 2003, we have mailed recruiting materials to every household in the County,
run advertisements in the local newspaper and on local radio, distributed GED promotional
items and flyers, provided financial incentives to graduates and created an annual family-oriented
GED Graduation celebration.
Word-of-mouth is one of the most successful ways we have found
to recruit and encourage adults to get their GED. To take advantage of this, the
Foundation has two part-time “GED Recruiters” who travel throughout Patrick County
speaking with individuals and groups about the importance of a high school diploma in
today’s new-economy. Our recruiters, both well-known local businesspeople,
speak before rescue squads and fire departments, church groups, and civic clubs and visit
with individuals in local gathering places and private homes. They share information
on community GED classes, the enrollment process, graduate incentives and much more.
Finally, the Foundation provides financial incentives to every GED graduate
and now also to graduates who successfully recruit and mentor others through the GED program to
graduation. Click HERE or on the button at the
left for GED Promotion Project Incentives for more information on those programs.
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