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The Foundation has made significant strides toward achieving its goals in each of our three initiatives.
College Access Program
- 86% of the Class of 2006 has said that they have plans for post-secondary education! Between 2002 and 2005,
the average percentage was 62.5%.
- The Foundation awarded its highest number of Last Dollar scholarships ever to the Class of 2006—46!
- The Foundation has awarded 153 Last Dollar scholarships to Patrick County students since 2002, bringing our
total “last dollar” scholarship commitment to $573,750.
- Our College Access staff members have assisted over 360 students in filing federal financial aid applications and
securing more than $3.5 million in total college financial aid.
- In 2005, the Foundation began an “early awareness” project to encourage elementary students and their parents to see
college attendance as both important and possible. In fall 2006, we began a retention project to make certain that Patrick County already
in college graduate.
- In 2005-2006, the first year of our new SAT-prep project, we provided SAT instruction to nearly fifty students through a
semester-long class and weekend, after-school and summer workshops.
GED Promotion Project
- At the end of 2005, Patrick County was ranked 2nd among its forty-five-member rural Virginia county peer-group in number of
GED’s awarded per 1,000 residents! When we began our GED efforts, the county ranked 38th.
- Since the Foundation began its GED Promotion project in 2002, 127 adults have received their GED, an annual average of nearly
thirty-two graduates per year. Prior to the Class of 2003, the thirty-four-year annual average was seventeen.
- Total Foundation investment to-date in raising the number of adults with a high school diploma is more than $200,000, including $127,000
in graduate incentives!
- According to the Foundation’s 2006 survey of GED graduates, 48% reported that they have continued their education since receiving their GED.
Workforce Training Program
- Since its Workforce Training program began in 2003, the Foundation has trained over 680 Patrick County adults through eight basic job-skills
training programs! Our goal is to train 1,500 by 2011 and we are well on our way!
- New job-skills programs are developed each year. During 2005-2006, two new programs began—training for certified nursing assistants and introduction
to medical terminology. The Tourism Ambassador training, new in 2007, is designed to hone specialized tourism-oriented customer service skills of those working in retail, food service
and other hospitality businesses.
- Since 2003, the Foundation has provided basic computer use and applications training to over 475 adults and trained more than 60 basic healthcare assistants.
- The Foundation has proven its ability to respond quickly to local employers’ need for specially-trained employees.
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