Jacksonville, FL, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pace Center for Girls, a nationally recognized model that provides education, counseling, training and advocacy for more than 3,000 girls and young women annually, received a $90,000 grant from State Farm Insurance to support career and college preparation.
The funding supports Pace’s comprehensive vocational and education program dedicated to providing at-promise girls with the necessary tools to obtain a high school diploma or GED, long term employability skills and support pursuing an education past high school, whether at a professional training program, the military, a community college or a four-year college or university.
“One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a society is to ensure all girls and young women have access to opportunities to be successful as adults,” said Mary Marx, President and CEO of Pace Center for Girls. “We are grateful to State Farm for investing in Pace and providing us the opportunity to enhance our life-skills training and career and college readiness pathways.”
As part of the investment, girls like Emily willl represent 21 communities across the state of Florida and receive a State Farm Scholarship supporting college, vocational school, or certificate training. She will study psychology at Broward College this summer with plans to transition to Florida International University and become a therapist. Having lost someone close to her by suicide, she shared “maybe I can help people and change future outcomes so it’s not devastating to the person, the family, and people around them.”
Pace has seen transformational improvements among girls personally and professionally. Eight out of 10 girls graduate from high school, pursue higher education or secure employment after the program, and nine out of 10 have experienced overall academic improvement.
“We are proud to support Pace in their commitment to provide career and college opportunities to all girls,” said Jose Soto, State Farm Corporate Responsibility Analyst. “Our agents enjoy volunteering at Pace and accompanying girls on experiential trips that focus on job and school placement.”
For more information about Pace Center for Girls, visit www.pacecenter.org.
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About Pace Center for Girls
Founded in 1985, Pace provides free year-round middle and high school academics, case management, counseling, and life skills development in a safe and supportive environment that recognizes and deals with past trauma and builds upon girls’ individual strengths. Dedicated to meeting the social, emotional, and education needs of girls, Pace has a successful and proven program model that has changed the life trajectory of more than 40,000 girls and is recognized as one of the nation’s leading advocates for girls in need. For more information on Pace Center for Girls, visit www.pacecenter.org.
About State Farm
For 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been and continues to be to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and approximately 61,764 employees serve over 91 million policies and accounts – which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 42 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
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