Experience Corps Bay Area youth program to honor social innovator, entrepreneur Marc Freedman

SAN FRANCISCO - April 26, 2016 - PRLog -- Experience Corps Bay Area is a school-based program of the leading human services agency, Aspiranet, in which adult volunteers engage with students for one-on-one and small group literacy tutoring. ECBA currently serves 3,222 students through 23 regional schools with the help of 222 volunteers. Nationally-renowned social visionary and author, Marc Freedman's original concept has played a central role in establishing the Experience Corps program-now AARP Experience Corps-which, in addition to its success in the Bay Area, has grown to serve low-income elementary school students in 22 U.S. cities.

On Sunday, May 15, Freedman will be presented with the Founder's Award at ECBA's sixth annual Generations of Success event, hosted at the Martin Lawrence Gallery in Union Square. Congressional and state representatives will be in attendance alongside program volunteers and students. Also, diverse works of art will be showcased and auctioned to raise money for the Aspiranet program.

The event will celebrate ECBA's many accomplishments and plans for the future. In spring 2016, the AARP Foundation, a grantee of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), awarded a four-year grant to Aspiranet and ECBA to help expand their program into San Mateo County.

ECBA is currently recruiting volunteers for the San Mateo County expansion, which is expected to be integrated into the County in the fall. Prospective volunteers who are interested in volunteering in San Mateo County may contact ECBA's Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator Eric Nelson at 415-759-4222 ext. 7315, or enelson@aspiranet.org.

"Almost 70 percent of American children reach 4th grade unable to read at a proficient level. The work we do provides the academic and emotional resources needed to support our community's most vulnerable children. Without the ability to read by grade 4, students are far less likely to graduate from high school and far more likely to end up in the juvenile detention system," states Paul Olsen, Director of ECBA. "The literacy crisis is very real but it is not impossible to overcome. This critical support of our ECBA volunteers, offered at just the right time, can literally rewrite a child's life course."

Event Info:

What: Experience Corps Bay Area's Sixth Annual Generations of Success fundraiser

When: Sunday, May 15, from 1:00 - 4:00pm

Where: Martin Lawrence Gallery, 366 Geary Street, San Francisco

Cost: $100 per person; $25 for educators and ECBA Volunteers

Tickets: Space is limited and advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended.  Tickets may be purchased at www.experiencecorpsbayarea.org.

About Experience Corps Bay Area

Experience Corps Bay Area mobilizes, trains and matches adults aged 50 and older as literacy tutors and mentors to elementary school students who are struggling to reach their grade level in reading. ECBA serves 23 of the lowest-income schools throughout the Bay Area in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. The program is a win-win for the community, as adult tutors stay active and give back in a meaningful, measurable way, while the students receive consistent, individualized academic and social-emotional support. For more information about the program, visit www.experiencecorpsbayarea.org.

About Aspiranet

Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) strengthens children, youth, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transition Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Intensive Home Based Services and Family and Community Services throughout 45 locations within California.

Founded in 1975 as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, Calif., Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org.