WNBC and WNJU Donate
Grants to Six Non-Profits
By Liza Young
WNBC and WNJU recently gave $400,000
in grants to six leading non-profit organizations in recognition
and support of their devotion and dedication to the future
of youth. Checks were officially presented at WNBC studios
at Rockefeller Plaza to the following non-profit organizations:
ASPIRA, NAACP NYC ACT-SO, Learning Leaders, Abyssinian Development
Corporation, and ThinkQuest, Inc.
Jay Ireland, President, NBC Universal Television Stations, enthusiastically expressed, “It’s a great partnership to have with the community and organizations. It’s a combination of the financial and the people volunteering that will really continue to help people.”
Frank Comerford, President and General Manager, WNBC explained that the grants are in line with the mission to help educate the youth of New York, and these organizations were chosen because “they are doing mentoring and training and helping these kids get ahead.”
ASPIRA focuses on improving the high school graduation rate among urban Latino students through programs geared towards building self-esteem, critical thinking skills, and presenting positive role models and new opportunities; Asian Professional Extension, Inc., (APEX), provides Asian-American youth with educational programs and career guidance as well as positive role models; NAACP NYC ACT-SO, focuses on promotion of achievement among African American youth through individualized mentorship and support programs; Learning Leaders provides academic services such as college planning, guidance and literacy programs to underrepresented youth; Abyssinian Development Corporation assists underserved youth in Harlem prepare for transition to middle and high school; and ThinkQuest, Inc. increases the technical and multimedia skills and knowledge of youth using project-based learning and technology.
According to Manuel Martinez, Vice President and General Manager of WNJU, the six organizations were narrowed down from a list of hundreds of organizations, each of which were carefully examined before the final decision of grant application was made.
Martinez, with warmth in his voice, noted that he couldn’t be prouder to be part of this effort as years ago, when he was applying to college, one of the winning organizations of a grant, ASPIRA, helped him with the college application fee: “It’s an amazing moment to be part of giving back to an organization which helped me out in my career.”
The allocation of grants is part of a 1 million dollar community outreach initiative to support public secondary education in New York, as well as Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.#
