Raul Murguia, Guadalupe Center, Inc. (816) 471-2582, ext. 123
Daniel Silva, NCLR (312) 269-9250
Marie Watteau, NCLR (202) 785-1670

Mar 31, 2008

Kansas City, MO – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., will join with one of its Affiliates, Guadalupe Center, Inc., and PepsiCo Foundation to launch the NCLR Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success – an initiative that encourages and helps Latino youth to graduate from high school, prepare for college, and explore career opportunities. The Guadalupe Center will be the site of the first Escalera program in Kansas City. The program launch will take place on Thursday, April 3, at the Guadalupe Center beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The pilot program for Escalera was launched in Los Angeles in 2002 by NCLR with support from PepsiCo Foundation and PepsiCo, Inc. as a strategy to increase the number of Latino students who graduate from high school. The program provides support and services that improve opportunities for Hispanic youth to attend college and attain the skills needed for high-paying jobs. To date, the NCLR Escalera Program has served 181 Latino youth with 96% graduating from high school and 94% enrolling in college.

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHO:	Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO; Cris Medina, Executive Director, Guadalupe Center, Inc.; and Michelle Jordan, Senior Manager, Strategic Community Partnerships, PepsiCo
WHAT:	Launch of the NCLR Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success in Kansas City to help Latino high school students achieve postsecondary education and expand their opportunities for developing careers in well-paying fields.
WHEN:	10:30 a.m., Thursday, April 3, 2008
WHERE:	Guadalupe Center, Inc. 1015 Avenida Cesar E. Chavez Kansas City, Missouri

 

For more information, please contact Marie Watteau in NCLR’s Office of Media Relations at mwatteau@nclr.org.