LULAC Partners With P&G On National Scholarship Fund.

Continued growth in the number of young Hispanics entering college has created a challenge for organizations like LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC), who provide financial as well as counseling support to youth through a variety of programs from kindergarten to college. One of the agency’s programs, the LULAC National Scholarship Fund (LNSF), awards scholarships to students across the country by securing corporate matching funds for local communities participating in the program. For the third consecutive year, P&G donated $50,000 to the LULAC National Scholarship Fund. The check presentation took place during the LNESC Scholarship Breakfast held as part of the 2002 LULAC National Convention held in Houston, Texas last week.

The LULAC National Scholarship Fund receives approximately 700 new information requests each week from talented Hispanic students who are struggling to meet the rising costs of a college education. Students receiving the scholarship are selected on the basis of their academic achievement and community service. The majority of scholarship winners benefiting from Procter & Gamble’s support are from Texas, California, Illinois and the Northeastern corridor of the U.S. They have demonstrated good academic performance and an interest in business.

Scholarship recipients are thrilled to learn that a major corporation like Procter & Gamble has invested in their development. “This donation is a terrific example of what we can do when we work together with the private sector to meet community needs,” said Richard Roybal, Executive Director of LNESC. He added, ” Procter & Gamble’s investment in young people through matching support for LNESC’s scholarship awards is a testimony of their commitment to the education of our future business leaders.”

At a time when Hispanics account for one of four new workers entering the labor force, a college education is key to their career success. “Efforts like the LNESC’s matching scholarship program are critical in making a college education affordable so that today’s Hispanic scholars will some day join corporations like P&G” said Ingrid Rivera, Director of Multicultural External Relations at Procter & Gamble. Rivera presented this year’s scholarship donation during the LNESC Scholarship Breakfast.

The partnership with LNESC and support of its education programs is part of P&G’s “Avanzando con tu Familia” (helping your family succeed) community outreach program. Avanzando seeks to strengthen P&G’s bond with Hispanic families offering tools and information that will enable them to enhance the quality of life in three fundamental areas: education, health and traditions. Earlier this year LNESC announced the expansion of their Young Readers Program to six new communities through a $50,000 P&G grant. The LNESC Young Readers program was established so children develop a love of reading at a young age to help lay the foundation for future success in school.