NEWS RELEASE - Mayor Honors Business-Education PartnershipsCity of Phoenix, Arizona, Official Municipal Web site - City News
Mayor Honors Business-Education Partnerships
May 9, 2001
Local businesses and community leaders who have partnered with Phoenix schools were honored at the 11TH annual Phoenix Mayor's Partnership Awards Luncheon.
Mayor Skip Rimsza and the Phoenix Youth and Education Commission recognized four outstanding partnerships between businesses and schools that have enhanced education and growth opportunities for students in and out of the classroom.
The award recipients, who were honored May 3, demonstrated excellence in leadership, youth development and mentoring programs, workforce development and neighborhood/community improvement. Below is a recap of the award-winning partnerships.
Workforce Development: Discover Card's Phoenix Operations Center
runs the BOOST Program, a comprehensive 10-week training curriculum in customer
service and business skills for high school seniors and people with disabilities.
The program provides employment opportunities as well as classroom instruction,
computer equipment and written materials at no charge to participants.
Youth Development and Mentoring: Northern Trust Bank and Madison Park School teamed up with the Madison Park Neighborhood Community Alliance to found Arizona Quest for Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring and scholarships
to economically disadvantaged students with academic potential. Enrollment begins
in fifth grade and the program follows participants through high school, providing
a four-year scholarship to an Arizona university for students who meet certain
performance criteria.
Neighborhood/Community Improvement: Villa del Sol Block Watch and the Omega Academy Charter School teamed up with Art in Motion to create the Empowering Youth Through Video project. The program provided the opportunity for 30 youth between ages nine and 17 who were involved with gangs to make a positive impact in the community by working together to write, direct, produce and act in a statewide bilingual anti-gang public service announcement aired on KTVK 3TV.
Leadership: The Wilson Coalition is a 10-year partnership that started with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's involvement in Principal for a Day. The coalition's more than 65 public and private sector members have attracted more than $13 million for the community surrounding the Wilson Elementary School campus. The group has become an institution in the area, providing resources to enhance the school curriculum and revitalize the nearby community.
The Mayor's Partnership Awards program is sponsored by KTVK 3TV and AT&T. For more information, call the Phoenix Youth and Education Office at 602-495-0314.
