The College Crusade of Rhode Island Receives $20,000 Grant from the Amgen Foundation

Funds will support college-readiness programs and services for students from the state’s most disadvantaged urban communities

Providence, R.I., July 21, 2008 – The College Crusade of Rhode Island today announced a $20,000 grant award from the Amgen Foundation. The funds will support The College Crusade’s innovative college-readiness programs and services for youth in Rhode Island’s low-income urban communities. The Amgen Foundation award contributes important local matching funds required to ensure The College Crusade’s multiyear federal GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

“We are very grateful to the Amgen Foundation for making this investment in Rhode Island youth,” said Robert J. Oberg, development director for The College Crusade. “Their generous support will help us continue to inspire Crusaders to set high educational goals, take on the challenge of college, and look ahead to achieving career success.”

“As a global company, we know that education beyond high school is crucial to a student’s success,” said Kimball Hall, vice president of Amgen Rhode Island. “We are pleased that the Amgen Foundation is supporting education in this community by helping The College Crusade of Rhode Island prepare students to enter a competitive world.”

About the Amgen Foundation
The Amgen Foundation seeks to advance science education, improve patient access to quality care, and strengthen the communities where Amgen staff members live and work. Since 1991, the foundation has made nearly $110 million in grants to local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways. It has also supported disaster relief efforts both domestically and internationally.

About The College Crusade of Rhode Island
The College Crusade of Rhode Island is the state’s most comprehensive college-readiness and scholarship program for middle school and high school students in low-income urban school districts. It serves approximately 3,800 students per year and rewards the efforts and achievements of financially eligible students with up to four years of college scholarships. From grade 6 through grade 12, Crusaders experience the steady, nurturing presence of caring adults and participate in activities that focus on academic enrichment, social and personal development, career awareness and exploration, and readiness for college. Since 2001, The College Crusade has awarded over $18 million in college scholarships to more than 2,500 graduates from Rhode Island high schools. For more information, please visit www.thecollegecrusade.org.

The College Crusade is a nonprofit organization funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s GEAR UP program, by the State of Rhode Island, and by private corporations, foundations, and individuals.