Rise Academy will be awarded a $7,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation to upgrade its science lab equipment.
The check will be presented in a ceremony at the charter school’s campus at 207 N. MLK Blvd. on Thursday, November 3rd at 9:30 a.m. State Senator Charles Perry, who was instrumental in recommending Rise as a recipient, will be in attendance, along with representatives from AT&T’s External Affairs Department.
“We are very appreciative of this support from the AT&T Foundation,” states Rise Founder and Director Richard Baumgartner. “We are also grateful to Senator Perry for thinking of Rise as a worthy recipient of such a grant,” Baumgartner adds. “Apparently when AT&T Regional Manager Cameron Monroe asked Senator Perry for a recommendation, he had Rise at the top of his list,” says Baumgartner.
Baumgartner says the philanthropic award from AT&T is a rarity. “When I was first getting Rise Academy started almost 20 years ago, there was very little support from local foundations or businesses. From then on, we never really pursued potential benefactors from the Lubbock area,” comments Baumgartner.
“So it’s nice to see this support come our way. In fact, another local benefactor, Griffin Mortuary, just wrote a $3,000 check to Rise Academy in support of our purchase of a scoreboard for our gym,” he adds. “So we very much want to thank Griffin for their support, as they are a longstanding business based in the community.”
Rise Academy is an independent public charter school which began operation in September, 1999. The school has open enrollment, and is unable to selectively “cherry-pick” students. About eighty-five percent of Rise students are low-income minority children residing mostly in east and northeast Lubbock neighborhoods.
As a charter school, Rise Academy must conform to all Texas Education Agency rules, with exceptions for teacher certification requirements and pay-scale. Currently the academy serves about 270 students in grades pre-k thru 8th.
(Press release from Rise Academy)
