City Year Launches in Two New Cities Today, Reaching 150,000 Students Every Day

BOSTON, Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- City Year, an education-focused, national organization that unites young adults for a year of full-time service in high-need urban schools, is announcing the addition of new sites in its network: Orlando, FL and Sacramento, CA. Today, 50 City Year AmeriCorps members in their signature red jackets will take the City Year pledge to serve in Sacramento, and next week 50 more will launch their year of service in Orlando schools.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110714/NE35509LOGO )

Sacramento and Orlando become the official 22nd and 23rd City Year sites, adding to a network of more than 2,500 City Year AmeriCorps members serving in nearly 250 high-need schools, reaching 150,000 students every day.

"City Year corps members serve where the need is greatest.  We are honored and humbled to be welcomed into the Orlando and Sacramento communities as a partner in each district's school turnaround efforts," said City Year Co-Founder and national CEO, Michael Brown. "These corps members are a part of a national network that today is 2,500 strong – helping students and schools succeed."

In 2009, with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Brown announced In School & On Track: A National Challenge, a campaign to address the nation's high school dropout crisis and turn around low performing schools by scaling City Year programs nationwide. Last year, Secretary Duncan once again joined with City Year as the organization announced its Long-Term Impact strategy to dramatically increase the nation's urban graduation pipeline.

"Comcast deeply values City Year's partnership and its commitment to help every student achieve his or her potential," said David Cohen, Executive Vice President of Comcast NBC Universal, national sponsor of City Year's Opening Day. "Corps members represent the very best of our nation – that enduring spirit of service. They'll not only have a positive impact on the students, schools and communities in which they serve, but they'll also grow as leaders, and engaged citizens -- and help shape their own lives for many years to come."

In each community, the City Year inaugural corps will serve in five of the highest need schools in the city, supported by AmeriCorps, school district funds and private philanthropy. In Orlando, founding partners include the Orange County Public Schools, the Michael and Kim Ward Foundation, and Volunteer Florida, as well as team sponsors CSX, the Darden Foundation, Heart of Florida United Way, Universal Orlando Foundation, and Wells Fargo. City Year Orlando is also supported by the Brad and Cori Meltzer Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, LYNX, SunTrust, and Tupperware Brand Foundation.

In Sacramento, founding partners include Cisco, the Morgan Family Foundation, and the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. In addition, these Sacramento founding partners will also sponsor a team of City Year AmeriCorps members: AT&T, Bank of America, Social Venture Partners of Sacramento, Walmart and Wells Fargo. City Year Sacramento is also supported by Arata Brothers, Chevron, Intel, McDonald's, SAFE Credit Union, and US Bank. 

In 24 communities across the United States, and through two international affiliates in London and Johannesburg, these diverse young leaders help turn around high-need schools and keep students in school and on track to succeed by working to improve their attendance, behavior and course performance.

Half of our nation's dropouts come from only 12% of schools. City Year is focusing its efforts where it can have a major impact on the national dropout rate. Over the next decade, City Year aims to work in the cities that account for two-thirds of the nation's dropouts. City Year AmeriCorps members help keep kids in school and on track to succeed by focusing research based, targeted interventions on the students who need extra care and support. Those students are identified by the early warning indicators known as the ABCs – Attendance, Behavior, and Course performance in reading and math.

City Year corps members help keep students in school and on track to graduate.  Learn more at cityyear.org.

About City Year: City Year is an education-focused, nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention for students most at risk of dropping out.  In more than 20 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, our teams of young AmeriCorps leaders support students by focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs that keep kids in school and on track to graduate.

SOURCE City Year