Did you know that Peoria Promise has sent over 800 students to college in the past two years? Did you know that our economy is directly influenced by the level of education in our community?

The benefits of a more educated community include higher income, increased employment, personal and professional mobility, increased tax revenues, better public health, decreased reliance on government support, reduced crime rates, and increased voter participation. Many political leaders, including President Obama and major funders like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are emphasizing the need for a substantial increase in the number of Americans who hold college degrees.

Today, college-going rates among low-income and minority young people are far below the national average. As a result, the degree attainment rate for African Americans is 37 percent below the national average, while the rate for Hispanics is less than half the national figure. Low educational attainment has become a defining characteristic for our nation’s most economically challenged communities. The jobless rate for high school dropouts is nearly three times that of college graduates. And with 63 percent of jobs in the U.S. expected to require post-secondary education by 2018, communities with low levels of education attainment are unlikely to experience a strong economic recovery.

Peoria Promise’s mission is to support a strong economic recovery for the City of Peoria through enhancement of workforce skills and academic opportunities for the graduates of Peoria schools. Peoria Promise is designed to stem the enrollment flight away from the urban school district and provide a financial pathway to post-high school education for all of Peoria’s public school students, including the significant number of low-income and first-generation students (more than 70 percent of the student population in District 150 is economically disadvantaged).

Peoria Promise is helping students better themselves through education, which has been made possible by the active engagement and support of many local businesses, organizations and individuals. Consider following their lead, and help make the promise of a higher education a reality for hundreds of more Peorians. Support Peoria Promise today! Visit peoriapromise.org or send your donation to Peoria Promise at 331 Fulton Street, Suite 310, Peoria IL, 61602. iBi 

» Support the organization by purchasing a ticket for the Peoria Promise Dream Car Raffle. Featuring a complete frame-off restoration and finished in white over a black convertible top and black interior, this 1974 Corvette has a classic appeal to all. It was generously donated by Mr. Gary Uftring of Uftring Auto Group to support education and economic development in our community by raising funds for Peoria Promise.

Tickets are now available for $50 or 3 for $100. Only 2,000 tickets will be sold, so get yours today! You can purchase them online at peoriapromise.org/dreamcar, The Heartland Partnership office at 100 SW Water, or at Uftring Auto Mall. All proceeds will benefit the Peoria Promise Foundation Raffle Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.