Reading and Beyond’s check presentation Thursday

Reading and Beyond will be having a check presentation ceremony to celebrate new funding for its college-prep program on Thursday from 10:30-11 a.m. at the Mosqueda Community Center, 4670 E. Butler Avenue, in southeast Fresno.

The $32,000 contribution, given by AT&T, will help high school students who desire to go to college but do not know how to reach that goal. The program provides each student with an academic guidance plan, financial plan and tutoring.

The students live in the 93701 zip code, the poorest in California among those zip codes with 1,000 or more residents.

“There is an obvious connection in this community between poverty and low educational attainment,” says Luis Santana, Reading and Beyond’s executive director. “As an organization, we want to provide the services and resources for students to be able to obtain a higher education and the opportunity to get out of poverty.”

“We know that graduation rates go up when students are enrolled in programs that expose them to college and career opportunities – that’s what the AT&T Aspire program is all about,” said AT&T Director of External Affairs Julie Tone. “We’re proud to help make a difference right here in Fresno.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Reading and Beyond’s check presentation Thursday."