ON #GIVINGTUESDAY
JOBS FOR AMERICA’S GRADUATES (JAG) CELEBRATES A 96% GRADUATION RATE
AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Bipartisan, National Non-Profit Organization Gives Thanks for Continued Support To Ensure Most Vulnerable Youth Receive Critical Services During Unprecedented Year
Washington D.C., Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 – This #GivingTuesday, Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) proudly announces that despite continued social and economic uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JAG students achieved an impressive graduation rate of 96%, exceeding the national average for all seniors by 12%.
The significant milestone is the latest example of the 40-year legacy of JAG graduates, who consistently achieve despite the multiple, significant challenges they face. Across 1,450 communities in 40 states, JAG participants continue to prove that a well-executed model can help those historically held back by discrimination, poverty, and other barriers achieve equal or greater success in high school graduation, employment, and post-secondary education.
Ken Smith, Jobs for America’s Graduates Founder and President stated that, “Today, the same populations JAG was founded to support 40 years ago have been hit the hardest and most disproportionately by the academic, economic, emotional, and social impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, compounded by the ongoing challenges of discrimination and inequality. However, our students have been showcasing inspiring resiliency amidst the pandemic, and we’re privileged as an organization to be well positioned to support them during this challenging year.”
“Many of our students also have part-time jobs outside of school, with a great amount of responsibility to help financially support their families,” Smith continued. “These students are continuing to weather the storm of this crisis, while also excelling in their studies, and this is nothing short of remarkable”.
On #GivingTuesday, JAG also thanks and celebrates its donor community for their unwavering support. The organization’s corporate supporters include AT&T, the Principal Foundation, Strada Education Network, T-Mobile, Regions Bank and the Regions Foundation, and more, in addition to policy-makers from both sides of the political aisle. This bi-partisan support includes 14 sitting Governors who serve on JAG’s National Board of Directors – the most Governors to serve on any Board in the United States.
JAG Executive Vice President Janelle Duray added, “The multiple crises we face as a nation present an enormous risk, potentially leaving thousands of our most vulnerable students behind. Youth in fragile communities may not be attending school and subsequently failing in their classes or dropping out of high school. Some are unable to find work, losing critical years to build skillsets and wealth. This is not good for them, and it’s not good for the nation, because it hinders the development of our future leaders. However, we believe this generation is one of the most adaptive, resilient, and innovative of our time. It’s our responsibility to provide the necessary resources so they can succeed in school, jobs, and life. That’s what JAG has been doing for four decades.”
To donate or to learn more about Jobs for America’s Graduates, please visit our Website.
About Jobs for America’s Graduates
Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a national nonprofit that has been reaching our nation’s most underserved youth for 40 years. The JAG National Network has a footprint across 1,450 communities in 39 states and impacts more than 76,000 youth annually. JAG graduates consistently achieve outstanding results, including a 95.7% graduation rate. JAG graduates are 230% more likely to be employed full-time compared to their peers, and twice as likely to go to college.