For Immediate Release
May 3, 2007

Forty Oakland elementary school children will receive a special gift when they graduate from fifth grade this June – the pledge of a $1,000 college scholarship. In a partnership intended to encourage youngsters to stay in school and prepare for higher education, East Bay College Fund, a grassroots scholarship organization, is making a financial commitment to the entire 2007 graduating class of Think College Now (TCN), a pioneering public elementary school in Oakland’s Fruitvale district.

The East Bay College Fund scholarships will become available to each TCN youngster after they graduate from high school and enroll in a two-or four-year college.

CBS5 News Coverage of 5th Grader’s Story

East Bay College Fund President Andy Fremder sees a common bond between his group’s mission and that of TCN. Both organizations believe that it is never too early for young people to expect and prepare to go to college. “TCN Principal David Silver and his team have done a wonderful job of creating a real culture around higher education, and we want to do our part to help these students and families achieve their goals,” Fremder said.

Founded in 2003, TCN is focused on high academic standards and emphasizes the importance of college attendance as soon as its pupils enter kindergarten. Principal David Silver said, “Think College Now is about equity – to truly close the achievement gap, our children must have a true opportunity to attend college and pursue their dreams. We’re delighted that the East Bay College Fund shares our vision and is stepping up to help our students in such a meaningful way.”

The donations represent an extension of East Bay College Fund’s core mission of providing $16,000 four-year college scholarships, mentoring and other support to public high school seniors from low-income families and East Bay communities with historically low college attendance rates. East Bay College Fund will grant its 2007 awards to 16 graduating high school seniors at a public ceremony at Mills College on May 23. Including those awards, the nonprofit organization has granted 59 college scholarships since its inception in 2002.

Fremder was introduced to the TCN team on a visit to the school in his role as a trustee of the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES), an Oakland-based school reform organization. “After being on the campus for about 10 minutes, you could feel that there was something unique happening there, and I immediately began to think about how East Bay College Fund could play a role,” Fremder said.

TCN graduates will receive their scholarship certificates at a formal graduation ceremony on June 8. They are the first class of fifth graders to graduate from the K-5 school.

East Bay College Fund hopes to continue and expand its scholarship partnership with TCN. To become involved or learn more about East Bay College Fund, please visit www.eastbaycollegefund.org. To learn more about Think College Now, please visit www.thinkcollegenow.org.

Contact information:

Andy Fremder, President of East Bay College Fund
afremder@faralloncapital.com
510.219.4554

David Silver, Principal of Think College Now
david@thinkcollegenow.org
510.879.1490