Ford Fund And The Jalen Rose Charitable Fund Launch Innovative Retention Program At Cass Tech

Oct. 4, 2010 - PRLog -- Launching a new program in support of education in Michigan, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services partnered with the Jalen Rose Charitable Fund  for a Back to School Empowerment Seminar at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. The event took place on September 24 at Cass Technical High School located at 2501 Second Avenue. Cass Tech also was the winner of the first-ever Jalen Rose Charitable Fund Mentor Program Challenge presented by Ford Motor Company Fund.

Native Detroiter and ESPN analyst, Jalen Rose, hosted the event and spoke to the crowd of 600 students along with FM-98 WJLB radio personality Dr. Darrius who served as the emcee for the event.  A panel of automotive and sports professionals  provided career tips and information to the students.  The panelists included Ford Designer Earl Lucas, Automotive Safety Instructor Joe Williams, and Erika Swilley, Assistant Director of Community Relations - NBA Detroit Pistons.

To win the mentor program grant, Detroit Public High Schools were challenged to create a mentoring program that would pair high school juniors/seniors with freshmen/sophomores. As the winning school, Cass Tech will be awarded a $7,500 grant to implement the program in addition to hosting the  empowerment seminar. The mentor program challenge drew applications earlier this year from high schools across Detroit. The winning program aims to strengthen peer relationships and increase retention in high school.

"Ford Motor Company is proud to continue our legacy of supporting education," said Jim Vella, President, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "The Mentor Challenge Program is just one way Ford can help to inspire the next generation of innovators in Metro Detroit," Vella said.  

“As a former Detroit Public School student, I understand the challenges these students face and that is why I am devoted to improving the graduation rates in my hometown.  The purpose of this challenge is to increase student engagement and ultimately assist them on their path to graduation,” said Jalen Rose.

Ford's latest commitment to supporting education in the Detroit area builds on a legacy of investment in educational.  These initiatives include scholarships awarded to 145 Detroit high school students this summer through Ford’s Blue Oval Scholarship, with the goal of decreasing high school drop out rates and encouraging post secondary education. Ford's national award-winning high school curriculum, Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, is used by many local schools, including Henry Ford Academies located in Dearborn and Detroit.  

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works to build communities through partnerships that support education, driving safety, and community life including cultural diversity and American heritage. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2009, Ford Motor Company Fund is made possible by funding from Ford Motor Company.  National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous 21st century learning experiences, and Driving Skills for Life, a teen-focused auto safety initiative.  The Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, continues Ford's legacy of caring worldwide.  Through the Volunteer Corps, Ford employees and retirees participate in a wide range of volunteer projects in their communities. For more information on programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, visit www.community.ford.com.


About the Jalen Rose Charitable Fund
The Jalen Rose Foundation was established by ESPN Analyst/13-year NBA Veteran Jalen Rose to create life-changing opportunities for underserved youth through the development of unique programs and the distribution of grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. Grants focus on education and sports and are distributed in Jalen’s hometown of Detroit as well as other communities in need. More than $1.2 million in charitable donations have been distributed since the foundation’s 2000 inception. In 2010, the Jalen Rose Foundation became the Jalen Rose Charitable Fund in preparation for making a bigger impact in the Detroit Community. For more information visit www.jalenrose.com.