COLUMBUS URBAN LEAGUE NEWS RELEASE Media Contact: Kesha Garrett, 614.372-2310 or [email protected]

2014 Empowerment Day

Columbus Urban League to highlight Power of Reading and Good Schools to Overcome Poverty Award winners to include Columbus City School’s historic achievement in third grade reading Education's ability to lift children out of the crisis of generational poverty -- and the achievements of some of our community’s most innovative and inspiring education initiatives -- will power the excitement at the 2014 Columbus Urban League (CUL) Empowerment Day celebration. The event’s theme #All4Reading recognizes the importance of a community-wide strategy to help every child in Central Ohio read at grade level and to provide schools in every zip code that offer great educations, said Stephanie Hightower, President and CEO of the Columbus Urban League. “Reading is the most foundational of all skills and necessary to every important academic outcome,” said Ms. Hightower. “Every child deserves the chance at a great education, because early learning initiatives and effective schools are two of our community’s most certain paths to the success of our children and more stable homes for our families.” The 39th Annual Empowerment Day luncheon is Monday, November 3, at the downtown Hyatt Regency. This signature annual event recognizes and celebrates noteworthy organizations, businesses and individuals who have championed the principles of equal opportunity, civil rights and social justice throughout the Columbus region. This year's event will honor some of Central Ohio’s most effective educational initiatives: Columbus City Schools: At the start of the 2013-2014 school year, nearly 60% of third graders had not passed the state mandated Third Grade Reading Guarantee. An extraordinary community-wide effort led by Superintendent Dan Good brought together partners across the public, non-profit and private sectors. By summer’s end, nearly 9 in 10 third graders were successfully promoted to fourth grade. KIPP Columbus: One of the most highly regarded charter school systems in the country, KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) opened on Columbus’ northeast side in 2008 with more than 70 fifth-grade students. The charter school is aimed at students from disadvantaged homes who often have a lot of catching up to do academically. The school has grown in achievement and size. Its middle students outperform their peers within two years. And by the end of the decade, the school expects to have 2,000 students on its newly opened campus near Port Columbus. United Schools Network: Columbus Collegiate Academy, the flagship middle school of the United Schools Network, is also a college preparatory charter school, where 80% of its students are of color and 95% are economically disadvantaged. On average, students grow academically two and half years for every one year of learning at the school. A new after school partnership with the Columbus Urban League further assisted these at-risk middle school students, boosting math and reading scores by double digits. George Washington Carver Food Research Institute: A story of local success, minority-owned Coalescence manufactures spice blends and ingredients for clients ranging from Wendy’s, PepsiCo, Tyson, and Procter & Gamble. In 2013, the company launched the nonprofit George Washington Carver Food Research Institute, which teaches children about food, nutrition and food-based careers -- with a foundation in STEM learning. “These Empowerment Award recipients are truly transforming the lives of children throughout our city and deserve recognition for their achievements,” added Ms. Hightower. More information about the CUL Empowerment Day celebration can be found online at www.cul.org. ### About the Columbus Urban League The Columbus Urban League, Central Ohio’s oldest and most successful civil rights and urban family advocate, is working to overcome urban poverty through revitalized initiatives in economic transformation, foundational education, housing and family stabilization. An affiliate of the National Urban League, CUL is a community-based, non-profit, advocacy organization founded in 1918. With its long history of giving opportunities to minorities and the disadvantaged in urban areas, the CUL has engaged more than one million Columbus and Franklin County residents through an array of employment, early education, fair housing, exoffender, parenting, and after-school initiatives. This news release was sent on behalf of the Columbus Urban League by The Collective Genius (www.thecollectivegenius.org)