MEDIA RELEASE

Teach For America announced has the Hawaii Electric Light Company and the HEI Charitable Foundation have granted Teach For America-Hawaii $5,000 in support of the organization’s efforts to expand educational opportunity on Hawaii Island.

Teach For America recruits, prepares, and develops top college graduates and professionals who commit to teach for two years in under-resourced public schools and become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational equity.

“We are pleased to support Teach For America and its efforts to ensure that all students in our community have equal access to the educational opportunities they deserve,” said Jay Ignacio, HELCO president. “Teach For America is helping to build a pipeline of strong leaders committed to helping students in need and this is one more way we can help support our hard-working teachers.”

This school year, approximately 148 Teach For America corps members are working alongside other excellent educators in more than 40 schools on Oahu and Hawaii Island, serving an estimated 12,500 students.

Teach for America expanded to Hawaii in 2006 and has since supported a diverse range of schools island-wide, including those serving Native Hawaiian Homesteads, military bases and charter schools.

The funds provided by Hawaii Electric Light Company and the HEI Charitable Foundation will support Teach For America’s growth in Hawaii, as well as training and professional development for local corps members.

Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high- need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity.

Today, more than 10,000 corps members are teaching in 46 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 28,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education.

— Find out more:
www.teachforamerica.org