Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Banknorth Charitable Foundation Supports Upward Bound

(Worcester, MA – November 15, 2004) Achieving a college education can seem like an unattainable dream to many inner city high school students. But with help from the Banknorth Charitable Foundation, students in Worcester State College’s Upward Bound Summer Academy learn that a college education is well within their reach.

Upward Bound students are drawn from Worcester public high schools. Over the summer, they take four intensive academic courses - math, science, verbal skills, and self-awareness - to prepare for college. Additionally, they attend lectures and workshops, visit museums and theaters, and tour college campuses.  The program has proven to be highly successful, with 100% of participants staying in high school and 95% going on to college.

Banknorth recently gave $5,000 to support the program and Senior Vice President Steven J. Bostic, a Worcester State College graduate and a member of the Worcester State Foundation, volunteered as a guest lecturer. He commented, “We’re not only helping the program financially, we’re also actively participating by volunteering to run workshops to help these young people understand about budgeting, banking, and financial management.”

 He continued, “We are strong supporters of the Upward Bound program because it helps disadvantaged kids build skills for success. Too many talented youngsters don’t see college as a viable option for themselves, because they lack adult role models who are college graduates or because they have no exposure to college life.  This program exposes them to a new way of thinking. They learn skills and have experiences that broaden their horizons and increase their chances for success in college.”

Bostic added, “This is the kind of program we’re proud to support. It’s good for individuals and their families and it’s good for businesses that rely on an educated workforce to succeed.”

###