PNC Grant to Fund Communities In Schools of Wake County Pre-K Initiative

$45,000 Grant Will Establish Pre-K Program at CIS Wake Learning Centers

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Communities In Schools of Wake County (CIS Wake), the area's largest dropout prevention agency that works in partnership with the Wake County Public School System to help students in need, has announced a $45,000 grant from PNC to establish pre-Kindergarten initiatives at CIS Wake's PNC Learning Center at Heritage Park and the SAS Learning Center at Kentwood. The grant was announced Friday morning at CIS Wake's Gifted Hands Breakfast, which was sponsored by PNC.

"PNC is dedicated to supporting early childhood education in order to help prepare children to succeed in school and in life," said Paula Fryland, PNC regional president of Eastern Carolinas. "Our support of CIS Wake's new pre-Kindergarten initiative provides additional opportunities for young children to improve their prospects to graduate high school and build a solid foundation for the future of Wake County."

The grant serves as a continuance of PNC's and CIS Wake's partnership, and an example of PNC's commitment to support the area's early childhood education initiatives.

"We are so grateful for the support we continue to receive from PNC," said Travis Mitchell, president of CIS Wake. "This grant is a great example of PNC's commitment to helping CIS Wake support early childhood education initiatives and, in turn, help to secure a brighter future for our area's children. In addition, we were excited to have had Dr. Carson speak at our Gifted Hands Breakfast this morning."

Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery for the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., served as the guest speaker at the event, which raised funds and awareness for CIS Wake and the services it provides for the area's students.  Dr. Carson, who made history in 1987 when he led a team of doctors in the successful separation of 7-month-old Siamese twins joined at the back of the head, has been a longtime supporter of CIS Wake, having spoken at the grand opening ceremony for the Learning Center at Heritage Park 20 years ago. 

In addition, he is president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. Operating in 45 states and the District of Columbia the fund has awarded more than $4.5 million to more than 4500 scholars. The program also establishes Carson Reading Rooms to encourage young students and their families to discover the pleasure to be found in books and to recognize the true power of learning.

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ABOUT COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF WAKE COUNTY:
Communities In Schools of Wake County (CIS Wake) is the area's largest dropout prevention agency. The organization has worked in partnership with the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) for more than 20 years to help area students stay in school and achieve in life. CIS Wake is one of 38 local affiliates across the state of North Carolina serving students in 44 counties, and is a part of a national network of 181 local affiliates serving more than 1.3 million students in 25 states. Additionally, CIS Wake supports more than 5,000 students in six Wake County public school sites and five community-based learning centers. For more information about CIS Wake, visit http://ciswake.org.

About the PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. 

Media Contact:
Roberta Hadley
[email protected]
919-834-5663, ext 3-4

SOURCE Communities In Schools of Wake County

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