Press Release: iMentor Partners with Groupon’s G-Team to Support Kickoff to College Campaign
Proceeds Provide iMentor’s New York City High School Students with Valuable One-On-One College Preparatory Guidance and Support
New York, NY (September 27, 2011) – iMentor (http://imentor.org), a leading youth mentoring program in New York City, and G-Team (http://www.groupon.com/g-team), the philanthropic arm of Groupon, today announced the launch of a local campaign to raise funds to host college kick-off events for all high school juniors in iMentor’s New York City program. As the 2011-2012 school year begins, iMentor is working to make sure high school students in underserved communities are prepared to reach their full potential in their academic careers. iMentor’s Kickoff to College events will utilize the organization’s robust mentoring program to provide essential one-on-one guidance to high school juniors as they start the college application process.
The iMentor Kickoff to College campaign will be available on Groupon’s New York-area G-Team page beginning on Tuesday, September 27th and will run through Thursday, September 29th. Utilizing G-Team’s collective action model, Groupon followers can pledge to support iMentor’s Kickoff to College events in increments of $10. If 60 donors give $10 each, iMentor will be able to host 100 students and their mentors for an evening dedicated to planning the students’ individual college application processes. Additional donations will allow iMentor to support more students, ensuring that all mentees have the tools they need to make informed decisions about college.
“G-Team’s collective action model provides us with an incredible opportunity to help us raise support for iMentor’s Kickoff to College events,” said Mike O’Brien, CEO of iMentor. “This support is particularly important for the students we work with from underserved communities, where schools often need additional help providing individualized college guidance. These Kickoff to College events will help our college-educated mentors provide valuable tools for students as they start the college application process, which is especially critical given that 90 percent of iMentor students are first generation college students."
Proceeds from the G-Team campaign will be used to provide resources, activities, and expert guidance as mentor-mentee pairs begin college planning for the year at these important events. Students and mentors will work one-on-one to research schools and majors, plot the application process, explore scholarship opportunities, and plan financial aid. To donate, please visit http://www.groupon.com/deals/gt-imentor.
This year, iMentor’s New York City program will match 2,400 students from low-income communities in New York City and thousands more across the country through partnerships with over 50 nonprofits in 20 states. iMentor’s program provides every student in a partnering school with one-on-one support from a caring adult. Mentors serve as motivators, advisors, early warning systems, and college coaches—and 100% of iMentor’s mentors are college graduates.
The results have been impressive – iMentor mentees are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college than New York City averages. In New York State, only 23 percent of high school students graduated ready for college or careers in 2009. During the 2009-2010 program year, 83% of iMentor’s students in New York City graduated from high school compared to a citywide graduation rate of 63%. Additionally, 67% of mentees enrolled in college.
For additional information and to become a mentor, please visit www.imentor.org.
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About iMentor
iMentor, a leading mentoring organization based in New York City, has developed an innovative and highly effective mentoring model. Each year, iMentor pairs thousands of high school students from underserved communities in New York City in multi-year, one-to-one matches with college-educated mentors. Founded in 1999, iMentor is focused on ensuring more students graduate high school college-ready and succeed in college. Get involved at www.iMentor.org.
About G-Team
G-Team, launched in July 2010 in Chicago, featrues a weekly local campaign in more than 50 markets nationaide, enabling Groupon followers to do good, have fun and make a real impact in their communities. G-Team uses collective action to gather support for worthwhile causes and produce tangible results for local organizations. To learn more about G-Team and how to become a featured organization, visit http://www.groupon.com/g-team. To subscribe to Groupon, visit http://www.groupon.com.
