Newark Nonprofit Packs ‘Care Packages’ For 1000 HS Graduates

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Project Ready. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Project Ready, a Newark-based nonprofit working to empower and activate the city’s families to take civic action, packed carepackages for the more than 1,000 graduating seniors in Newark who will be attending college or joining the military next year.

“Whether they’re attending college or joining our military, we want to support the next generation of Newark leaders by providing thesegraduating seniors with some essentials for their next chapter in life,” said Shennell McCloud, Executive Director of Project Ready. “One of those essentials is a voter registration form, because elections matter to our community and we want to empower our young leaders to use their voice to vote not just in the upcoming presidential election, but in all local races as well.”

Project Ready and over 100 community volunteers participated in a “Pack & Give” event on Saturday, June 8th to prepare over 1,000 baskets. Distribution of the care packages, which will include a laundry bag, dry erase board, dish detergent, and more, began yesterday and will last through the week at several district, charter, and specialized high schools in Newark, including Newark Public Schools, Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School, People’s Prep, KIPP NJ, and Marion P Thomas High School of Culinary and Performing Arts.

“We’re proud to support our graduating seniors no matter where they attended high school - from traditional public to charter public and magnet schools, and more,” added Shennell McCloud. “What I hear from parents is that they don’t care about the name above the door; theycare about whether their child’s school is a good one. That’s why everything we do is based on the vision that Newark’s families are ready to lead Newark to a better place for everyone.”

Project Ready has spent the last year working to activate Newark families, including registering more than 1,000 Newarkers to vote by mail ahead of the recent school board election and training “Ready to Lead” fellows as Newark’s next generation of leaders.

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