FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2016

CONTACT:
McKenna Young
484-385-2913 (office)
[email protected]

44 Outstanding California Students Awarded 2016 Horatio Alger–JobRedi Grant

Horatio Alger Association and the JobRedi Foundation award these specialized grants to deserving individuals enrolled in career and technical certificate programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 22, 2016) – Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that 44 high school graduates in Central California will receive the Horatio Alger–JobRedi Grant in the amount of $10,000 per grant. These young men and women are recognized for their tenacity to obtain vocational certification despite facing adversity. The grant is funded by the Cortopassi Family’s JobRedi Foundation to provide financial support for vocational and technical certification.

Qualifying applicants for the Horatio Alger–JobRedi Grant Program must be under the age of 35 and have graduated from high school. Each must currently reside in, or have graduated from high school, in San Joaquin or Stanislaus counties, and must enroll as a full-time student in an approved four-semester certificate program at a qualifying community college.

“Entering our third year in partnership with Horatio Alger Association, JobRedi Foundation is pleased to financially assist young men and women of limited means pursue a pathway to vocational technical certification,” said Dino Cortopassi, 2005 Horatio Alger Member. “Despite difficult personal challenges, JobRedi grantees demonstrate the desire to enter the work force better equipped for career success.  I am convinced vocational certification is of significant benefit in the workplace and will continue to grow rapidly. The JobRedi Foundation is pleased to have pioneered the vocational certificate program in California and we look forward to supporting these individuals as they pursue their educational goals.”

Founded in 1947, Horatio Alger Association administers one of the nation’s largest privately-funded, need-based scholarship programs. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $125 million in undergraduate, graduate and specialized scholarships to students from across the United States (including all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) and Canada. In 2000, 16 years after the establishment of its National Scholarship Program, Horatio Alger Members began funding scholarships concentrated in each state to further the Association’s mission of helping deserving young people pursue their collegiate goals.

“My fellow Members and I are thankful for the incredible generosity of Mr. Cortopassi and his family,” said Tony Novelly, chairman, Horatio Alger Association. “In partnership with the JobRedi Foundation, Horatio Alger Association is committed to ensuring that worthy individuals are not restricted by financial constraints as they seek to further their education. Together, we are helping to protect the American Dream for generations to come and this support of career and technical education has proven an important avenue for pursuing that Dream.”

Grant recipients in good standing towards career and technical certification will receive $2,500 per semester for up to four consecutive semesters ($10,000 maximum). Qualifying schools include:

• American River College – Sacramento, CA*
• Butte College – Oroville, CA
• College of the Sequoias – Visalia, CA
• Cosumnes River College – Sacramento, CA*
• Folsom Lake College – Folsom, CA
• Fresno City College – Fresno, CA
• Merced College – Merced, CA*
• Modesto Junior College – Modesto, CA*
• Porterville College – Porterville, CA
• Reedley College – Reedley, CA
• Sacramento City College – Sacramento, CA*
• San Joaquin Delta College – Stockton, CA*
• West Hills College Coalinga – Coalinga, CA
• West Hills College Lemoore – Lemoore, CA
• Woodland College – Woodland, CA
• Yuba College – Marysville, CA

*Denotes schools with 2016 grant recipients

For a complete list of the 2016 Horatio Alger–JobRedi Grant recipients, please click here. For more information about Horatio Alger Association please visit https://www.horatioalger.org. For more information about the JobRedi Foundation please visit www.jobredifoundation.org. To engage on social media, please “Like” the organization on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/HoratioAlgerUS).

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About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, the Association awards more than $12 million annually in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada and provides college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $125 million in college scholarships to more than 22,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.