NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Sharon and Timothy Ubben of Glencoe, Illinois have pledged to contribute $10 million to the Posse Foundation, a youth leadership development and college access program, over the next two years. Their contribution is the largest individual donation Posse has ever received and will be used to leverage college scholarships for public high school students across the country. Mr. Ubben has been closely involved with Posse for the last eight years. He founded Posse Chicago in 1998 and is currently vice chair of The Posse Foundation's national board of directors.
The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits and trains young leaders from urban high schools and sends them in teams of ten students (referred to as "Posses") to the same college or university where they act as a support system for one another. Its goal is to aggressively address diversity in higher education by improving access and providing the support necessary for the successful completion of a college education. Currently, 26 of the top colleges in the country receive posses each year and provide those students with four-year, full tuition scholarships.
Of the $10 million gift, $2 million has been earmarked to establish a two-year matching grant whereby increased gifts to Posse will be matched dollar for dollar and contributions from new donors will be matched two for one.
Since 1989, Posse has helped over 1500 young students win more than $142 million in leadership scholarships from Posse's 26 outstanding college and university partners. Posse scholars are persisting and graduating at a rate of over 90%, well above the national average. Today, Posse recruits students from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C.
If you would like to support The Posse Foundation, please contact Helen Katz at helenk@possefoundation.org or send your tax deductible donation to:
The Posse Foundation 14 Wall Street, Suite 8A-60 New York, NY 10005