The Newell Rubbermaid Foundation grants $25,000 to CREW Teens, providing perennial programming to increase students’ potential for success in higher education and careers

WHAT:      The Newell Rubbermaid Foundation has granted $25,000 to support the East Lake Foundation’s CREW (Creating Responsible, Educated and Working) Teens program. CREW Teens’ structured approach, distinguished by a year-round commitment, assists students in successfully navigating high school while preparing them for continued success after graduation. CREW Teens, 97 percent of whom will be the first in their families to attend college, are prepared for successful futures through academic enrichment, college readiness and life skills development after school and throughout the summer. The program’s efforts mirror the revival of the East Lake community. A decade ago, less than a third of neighborhood students graduated from high school. Now, graduation rates for active CREW Teens have soared to 90 percent, with more than 80 percent attending college.

WHEN:   The Newell Rubbermaid Foundation’s support of the East Lake Foundation will impact CREW teens throughout 2013.

WHO:  The East Lake Foundation’s CREW Teens program directly supports more than 400 high school and college students who have either attended Drew Charter School and/or call Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood home – approximately 80 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch.

WHERE:  CREW Teens is a program of the East Lake Foundation, based in Atlanta’s East Lake community.

 WHY:  Georgia’s growth and prosperity is directly tied to education. CREW Teens’ mission is to provide East Lake students with access to tools enabling them to earn degrees and credentials that will position them to successfully enter the workforce – a plus for the students, their families and the community at large.

The Newell Rubbermaid Foundation believes education is critical to helping communities flourish. The support of East Lake’s CREW Teens program aligns with The Foundation’s commitment to help bridge educational inequities in support of individual and community success – especially in Atlanta where the company’s global headquarters is located.

About the East Lake Foundation

Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through mixed-income housing, education and community wellness. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the cycle of poverty, but creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live. East Lake has become a model for holistic community revitalization programs across the country.