|  | GE to fund Phalen Lake Elementary literacy program
5/13/2004 10:50 AMGE to fund Phalen Lake Elementary literacy program
Saint Paul, Minn.GE Fleet Services will award St. Pauls Phalen Lake Elementary School a $5,000 check to fund the STAR Literacy Program, a successful language and reading program which recently lost funding due to budget constraints. GE representatives will present the donation at a special event at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, May 13 at Phalen Lake Elementary School, 1089 Cypress St., Saint Paul.
Using the GE donation and the helping hands of GE volunteers, a section of the library will be transformed into an Imagination at Work reading corner, complete with bright-colored beanbags and rugs. The corner will be an area where students can sit and read from the collection of more than 426 books, being added to the library with the GE funds. In addition to the books, the GE donation will purchase 100 Kids Discover magazines, 15 videos, and assorted teaching materials. Children in grades K-3, will participate in the STAR Literacy Program.
The GE donation to Phalen Lake will mark the first involvement between the two organizations. In 2003, a group of employees within GE Fleet Services called Catalyst began to explore opportunities for giving in the community, with the mission to create a significant impact for an organization that has a specific need. Phalen Lake was chosen to receive the funds because of its culturally rich student body and opportunity to provide materials that will remain in the library for years to come.
As we began to evaluate the needs of Phalen Lake, one program that jumped out at us was the STAR Literacy Program, aimed at strengthening language and reading to non-readers and non-English speaking students, said Chengny Thao, GE Fleet Services sales professional and Catalyst member. With this donation, we were able to maintain an important program in the school and make a visible impact on the students todayand in the future.
In these times of lean budgets, its so important that schools can build partnerships with businesses in the communities so that we can continue to increase the quality of education that were providing our students, said Jan Hopke-Almer, principal of Phalen Lake Elementary. Wed like to sincerely thank GE and the volunteers who made this contribution a reality and look forward to a continued relationship with GE in the future.
About Phalen Lake Elementary
Phalen Lake Elementary School enrolls more than 600 students from St. Pauls East Side. The schools rigorous Core Knowledge academic program closely matches the Minnesota Graduation Standards and is a school reform model that is described nationally as gifted education for all. The Core Knowledge program offers multiple ways for students to learn by blending together learning in history, geography, the arts and sciences. The culturally rich student population is one of the most diverse in the Twin Cities.
About GE Fleet Services
GE Fleet Services, based in Eden Prairie, Minn., is a global fleet management company with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GE Fleet Services is a unit of GE Commercial Finance. With over $217 billion in assets, GE Commercial Finance, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, offers businesses around the globe an array of financial services and products. GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified technology and services company dedicated to creating products that make life better.
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