$5,000
grants can be used to enhance the classroom experience with
curriculum, supplies, and equipment.
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- ProStart educators at 40 high schools across
the country will each receive $5,000
grants from The Rachael Ray Foundation and the National Restaurant
Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) to enhance their
programs with new equipment, curriculum, and experiential learning
opportunities. The grants are the latest round of financial support
from The Rachael Ray Foundation, which has dedicated more than
$1 million over the last five years
to foster learning and engagement in ProStart classrooms through
The Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant program.
ProStart educators play a pivotal role in the program's success
in more than 2,100 high schools nationwide, blending its core
curriculum with hands-on industry engagement activities, including
special speakers, class mentors, and tours of local culinary
facilities. The 2024 grant application was open to existing
ProStart schools, or those looking to join the program in the
coming school year. The NRAEF anticipates that the grants will
benefit more than 3,700 students and 42 teachers across 22
states.
"Providing Grow Grants is one of my favorite times of the year.
The educators who invest their passion and energy into their
classrooms are inspiring. I love to see the impact their work has
on the students who graduate from ProStart with the knowledge and
excitement for the restaurant industry," said Rachael Ray.
In the last five years,153 ProStart Grow Grants have been
awarded to schools showing a strong desire to engage students
through ProStart's industry-leading career and technical education
program. In addition to classroom grants, The Rachael Ray
Foundation and the Yum-o! organization have sponsored more than 260
scholarships for students pursuing post-secondary degrees in the
restaurant and hospitality industry.
"ProStart Grow Grants are a gamechanger for many ProStart
classrooms, providing the support to add crucial curriculum,
equipment, and experiences for students. We're grateful for the
partnership of The Rachael Ray Foundation, which is helping
educators give their students a front row seat to all that a career
in the restaurant industry offers," said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF.
Far more than a high school elective, ProStart has equipped more
than 214,000 students with the essentials of culinary arts and
restaurant management through its two-year CTE program, found at a
mix of public high schools and career technical education centers
across all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Students completing the program gain
restaurant-specific certifications and competencies, over 400 hours
of practical work experience, and access to restaurant and
hospitality apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities.
The following schools will receive 2024 Rachael Ray Foundation
ProStart Grow Grants:
A.H. Parker High School –
Birmingham, Alabama
Advanced Learning Center – Amory, Mississippi
Albany High
School – Albany,
Louisiana
B.O. Davis Sr. High School
– Houston,
Texas
Badger High School –
Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin
Ballou High
School – Washington,
D.C.
Berkmar High School –
Lilburn, Georgia
Carl
Keen CTE – Clarksdale,
Mississippi
Deltona High School –
Deltona, Florida
Dr.
Henry A. Wise Jr. High School
– Upper Marlboro,
Maryland
Fenger High School –
Chicago,
Illinois
Fort Pierce Central High School
– Fort Pierce,
Florida
Franklin Towne
Charter High School – Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Garinger High School –
Charlotte, North
Carolina
Hammond High Magnet School –
Hammond,
Louisiana
Henry P. Becton Regional High
School – East Rutherford, New
Jersey
Johnson Creek
Middle & High School – Johnson Creek, Wisconsin
Kahuku
High & Intermediate – Kahuku, Hawaii
Kenner Discover
Health Sciences Academy – Kenner, Louisiana
Meadowcreek
High School – Norcross,
Georgia
Mifflin County Academy of Science and
Technology – Lewistown,
Pennsylvania
Moorhead High School Career
Academy – Moorhead,
Minnesota
Morris County Vocational School
District – Denville, New
Jersey
Morse High School –
San Diego,
California
Oak Grove High School –
Hattiesburg,
Mississippi
Osseo-Fairchild School District
– Osseo,
Wisconsin
P.D. Jackson
Olin High School – Birmingham, Alabama
PHILLIPS School of Annandale – Annandale, Virginia
Rancho High
School – Las Vegas,
Nevada
Ranchview High School –
Irving,
Texas
Richards Career Academy –
Chicago,
Illinois
Ridgefield Park High School
– Ridgefield Park, New
Jersey
Roberto Clemente Community Academy
– Chicago,
Illinois
The Riverview School –
Long Island City, New
York
Warrensville Heights High School
– Warrensville Heights,
Ohio
Wekiva High School –
Apopka,
Florida
Wetzel County Tech Center –
New Martinsville, West
Virginia
Willow Lake
School – Willow Lake,
South Dakota
WP Davidson High –
Mobile, Alabama
Wythe
Conty Technology Center – Wytheville, Virginia
About the National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation (NRAEF): As the supporting philanthropic foundation
of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF's charitable
mission includes enhancing the industry's training and education,
career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and
its programs work to Attract, Empower, and
Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice
workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career
and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES –
Partnering with community based organizations to provide people
with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping
military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant
and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for
students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees;
and the Restaurant & Hospitality
Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship
programs designed to build the careers of service professionals.
For more information on the NRAEF,
visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's
2023 Annual Impact Report.
About The Rachael Ray Foundation: The Rachael Ray
Foundation™ (RRF) is a private foundation that is fully funded by
the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®. RRF was
launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she cares
for most such as helping animals in need. Additionally, RRF works
with organizations that support the mission of Yum-o!, Rachael's
501c3, in order to bolster and amplify their efforts through
additional funding. Yum-o! empowers kids and their families to
develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. It also
teaches families to cook, feeds hungry kids, and funds cooking
education, among other initiatives.
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SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation