(LINCOLN Neb. July 28, 2003) - Organizations based in Omaha, Lincoln, North Platte and Schuyler will share over $114,000 in community grants recently awarded by EducationQuest Foundation.

Winner’s Circle in Omaha received $30,000 to expand its program to include King Academy, a public elementary school in north Omaha. Winner’s Circle provides positive feedback for academic achievement and good citizenship for underprivileged students.

The Lighthouse, Inc. in Lincoln received $30,000 to support its After School Program for youth ages 13 to 18. The Lighthouse provides a structured, supervised and nurturing environment for at-risk students from 2 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. This includes academic support, recreational activities, field trips, evening meals and adult mentors.

The Nebraska Humanities Council received $21,602 to support its Prime Time Family Reading Time—a reading program for Spanish-speaking, low-income families in Omaha and Schuyler. This literacy program promotes bonding between parents and children around reading activities, teaches them how to use the public libraries, and shows them the importance of reading in education.

The YWCA of Lincoln received $15,000 to support Survival Skills—a program that targets at-risk girls in grades 5-12 and boys in grades 7-12. The program helps participants stay in school by offering tutoring support, self-esteem building, community service learning and individual counseling.

Junior Achievement of Lincoln received $15,000 to expand recruitment for the After-School Company Program. This program offers students in grades 9-12 real-world business experiences that encourage the students to pursue higher education.

Folsom Children’s Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Lincoln received $4,400 to support the “Zoo Crew” Program – a program that exposes students to a variety of career choices. The funding will underwrite a portion of the time professional animal keepers spend with program participants.

The Salvation Army received $3,200 to purchase two laptop computers for the Wilcox House—a boys and girls group home in North Platte. Students ages 16 to 19 will use the computers to research career choices, career educational requirements, college information and admission requirements. They will also use the computers for resume writing, schoolwork and extracurricular projects.

Since founded in 1998, EducationQuest has disbursed over $1.2 million in community grants to organizations across the state with programs that enhance college access.

“Our mission is to increase access to higher education in Nebraska,” said EducationQuest President Liz Fieselman. “Many Nebraska community agencies help us achieve that mission through the programs they offer and we’re proud to support them.”

Nebraska non-profit organizations interested in applying for an EducationQuest grant can view Community Grants guidelines in the Community Agency section at www.EducationQuest.org.

EducationQuest Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska. Through a permanent endowment, EducationQuest provides free college planning services at its locations in Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha; funds need-based scholarship programs; and supports community organizations that enhance college access. For more information, call EducationQuest Foundation, headquartered in Lincoln, at 800-303-3745 or visit www.EducationQuest.org.