Contact: Adrienne Starkey BACK Office Phone: (770) 716-0616 Email: [email protected]
11 NBA TEAMS TO HOST ‘GETTING AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES EDUCATED’ INITIATIVE Student Loan Provider Sallie Mae to Award College Scholarships During G.A.M.E. Events
Atlanta,
GA Oct. 24, 2007—
In an effort to offset the disturbing number of black males who are
opting to drop out of high school, 11 National Basketball Association
(NBA) teams—including the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the
Atlanta Hawks, the Denver Nuggets, the Washington Wizards and the Los
Angeles Lakers—will host a “Getting African-American Males Educated” (G.A.M.E.)
event before one of their 2007-2008 season games.
According to 2005
statistics from the U.S. Dept. of Education, 12 percent of black males
between the ages of 16 and 24 had dropped out of high school, compared
to 6.6 percent of white males. Males in general dropped out in
significantly greater numbers than females (10.8 percent and 8 percent,
respectively).
“Everyone should have the chance to grow into a dream, and with a higher education, you can,” said C.E. Andrews, CEO of Sallie Mae. “That’s why Sallie Mae is proud to sponsor the G.A.M.E. events, which complement our mission of making education accessible and affordable for all students at all times of their lives.”
As G.A.M.E. participants, high school students from each team’s hometown area will be given the opportunity to hear brief presentations from community leaders, identify mentors, meet and be photographed with NBA players, complete the EDU, Inc. Common Black College Application, and ultimately watch an NBA game.
“We welcome the opportunities that the G.A.M.E. initiative presents to make an impact in the communities that we serve,” says William Gordner, group sales executive of the Atlanta Hawks.
Paul Bee, group events specialist of the Cleveland Cavaliers commented, “The Cleveland Cavaliers are proud to host the G.A.M.E. initiative and are looking forward to the chance to help the youth in the Cleveland area continue their education.”
“This initiative
combines the celebrity of the NBA, the resources of companies like
Sallie Mae, and the ability of EDU, Inc. to address some of the
challenges black males face when attempting to graduate from high school
and go on to college,” says the president of EDU, Inc., Robert Mason.
“We are expecting to have more than 20,000 students participate in the
various G.A.M.E. events nationwide. In addition, we will be targeting
African-American and Latino males for the Miami G.A.M.E. event.” ***
EDU, Inc.
(www.eduinconline.com)
is the parent company that offers the Common Black College Application
and publishes the Black College Source Magazine (BCS). To date more
than 50,000 students have used the EDU, Inc. Application to apply to the
Member Institutions represented by the company. The BCS is sent to more
than 10,000 high schools and colleges nationwide.
SLM
Corporation
(NYSE: SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation’s leading
provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs. The company
manages $160 billion in education loans and serves nearly 10 million
student and parent customers. Through its Upromise affiliates, the
company also manages $19 billion in 529 college-savings plans, and 8
million members have joined Upromise to help save for college with
rewards on purchases at nearly 70,000 places. Sallie Mae and its
subsidiaries offer debt management services as well as business and
technical products to a range of business clients, including higher
education institutions, student loan guarantors and state and federal
agencies. More information is available at
www.salliemae.com.
SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of
the United States of America. |