Local non-profit provides volunteer opportunities in commemoration of quarter-century milestone

CHICAGO, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, the Metro Achievement Center, an after-school and summertime academic enrichment program for under-served girls, will give Chicago girls a chance to improve their community through a series of volunteer efforts. Several service projects will give the girls and the Center a chance to give back to the city that has helped make dreams of achievement a reality since 1985. Projects include:

• A collaboration with the Chicago Mosaic School to create and donate mosaics to elderly homes
• Food distribution at Lakeview Food Pantry
• Gardening and maintenance at Urban Art Retreat
• Visits to a work center at St. Mary's of Providence for the mentally challenged.

"We have been so fortunate here at Metro to benefit from years of generosity from the Chicago community. It will be such a rewarding opportunity for the students to give back and follow in the model of service that has been present during their time at Metro," said Chelsea Davis, College Orientation Program Director at Metro.

Metro carefully selects service projects that expose its students to a wide variety of groups in need with a priority on high-touch, personal interaction. By working amongst the hungry, disabled and elderly and supporting arts/education and the environment, the girls experience service in a way that's creative both mentally and physically, in order to see where they best flourish and help them to discover an unknown passion.

For a quarter-century, Metro Achievement Center for Girls has been instilling self worth, academic skills and work habits for Chicago inner-city girls from grades 4-12 with the collaboration of parents, teachers and volunteers. Named the Most Exemplary Youth Mentoring Program in Chicago by the Chicago Bar Foundation in 2006, Metro offers one-on-one tutoring programs for grades 4-6, an achievement program for grades 7-8, and a college orientation program for high school students. Enrollment is open to students from low-income families across the Chicago area. Metro, together with the Midtown Center for boys, is celebrating its 11th consecutive year of 100 percent high school graduation and college enrollment.

"College wasn't something I thought was possible for me when I came to Metro," said Jessica Zamora, a recent alumnus of the program and a current student at the University of Illinois. "Metro gave me and other inner-city girls hope for a rewarding future; they made success seem like a realistic option for us. More importantly, they also gave us the academic and character tools to achieve it."

As part of a summer-long celebration of the center's 25th anniversary, Metro will host a luncheon on July 30 to honor 25 "Women of Metro," who have demonstrated significant achievement in the community, specifically in their pursuit of "Educating Women of Character," the luncheon's theme.

"One of my favorite things is listening to alums talk about the benefits and blessings they received at Metro and having them return to help others," said Virginia McCaskey, principal owner of the Chicago Bears and one of the luncheon honorees.

To learn more about Metro Achievement Center or its parent foundation, Midtown Educational Foundation, or to find out about ways to volunteer or donate, please visit www.midtown-metro.org.

About Metro Achievement Center: Metro Achievement Center for Girls is a component of the Midtown Education Foundation, which provides personal and educational development programs and resources to Chicago inner-city girls from 4th - 12th grades.  Through collaboration with parents, teachers and volunteers, Metro programs instill a sense of personal worth, develop students' talents, character, and spirit of service, and strengthen academic skills and work habits.  Metro prepares its students so that they can complete their education and pursue a profession of their choosing.  Our generous sponsors make our high-quality programs affordable, especially for low-income families.

About Midtown Educational Foundation: Midtown Educational Foundation (MEF) helps youngsters to become better students and better people through its sponsorship of the Metro Achievement Center for Girls and Midtown Center for boys in Chicago, Illinois. Metro and Midtown's after-school and summertime programs integrate academics with virtues. Since its founding in 1965, thousands of inner-city boys and girls ages 8 to 18 have participated in MEF programs. Alumni enter college at nearly five times the rate of their peers.

SOURCE Metro Achievement Center

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http://www.midtown-metro.org