Stanbridge College Feeds Orange County Homeless Children, Continues Support of Project Hope

July 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Irvine, California – Stanbridge College recently continued its support of its OC community by providing lunch to the homeless children of Project Hope School Foundation, a county-run school designed to help children without permanent homes to transition into mainstream education. As part of Stanbridge College’s REACH Beyond the Classroom Service Learning and Civic Engagement initiative, Stanbridge teamed up with a local Subway to provide the children with a boxed lunch consisting of sandwiches, fruit and dessert. Stanbridge staff and students were on-site at the school to help serve lunch to the children.

“We truly appreciate Stanbridge College’s continued support of and commitment to our students and teachers,” said Pam Reed Allison, the Executive Director of the Project HOPE School Foundation.  “The majority of our students come from extremely low-income families and live transient lifestyles, moving from motel room to motel room.  They rarely have the opportunity to eat out.  It’s truly a treat when the kids get a break from the regular food provided by the county and are able to enjoy a fun and tasty meal.”

“It is a pleasure to be able to continually support and work with Project Hope School Foundation,” stated Stanbridge College President, Yasith Weerasuriya. “We are very pleased to know that our efforts and Subway’s gracious donations gave the children a nutritious lunch and big smiles. The teachers and staff at Project Hope School are doing a tremendous job for Orange County’s needy.”

Stanbridge College has worked with the children and families of Project Hope School on several occasions. The staff and students of Stanbridge have provided donations of lunches, school supplies, clothing and household items. Recently, Stanbridge hosted a field trip for the children to visit the campus to learn about college life and Stanbridge’s Vocational Nursing, Information Technology and Occupational Therapy programs.

Stanbridge College’s REACH initiative provides students with opportunities to give back to their local Orange County and global community while earning credit towards coursework in a structured environment. To learn more about Stanbridge College’s REACH – Beyond the Classroom and to view upcoming events for Project Hope School Foundation, visit the Stanbridge College REACH program online at www.stanbridge.edu.

About Stanbridge College
Irvine, California based Stanbridge College is a co-educational technical college with an annual enrollment of over 650 students. Founded in 1996, Stanbridge is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges, ACCSC, and offers Diploma, Associate and Bachelor of Science degree programs in Vocational Nursing, Registered Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assisting and Information Technology.

Stanbridge College has been recognized by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc as a 2010 America’s Best Technical Colleges award recipient. Stanbridge College has been named to the 2009 and 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. Stanbridge is a 2008-2009 School of Excellence Award Recipient from the Accrediting Commission of Career schools & Colleges (ACCSC), and maintains one of the highest continuous pass rates on the NCLEX-PN National Nursing Board Exam in California since 2007 with a 96% cumulative pass rate. For more information, please visit www.stanbridge.edu or call (949)-794-9090.

About Project Hope School Foundation
Incorporated in 2003, the Project HOPE School Foundation (PHSF) exists to provide financial support and community advocacy for the children and families of Project Hope School.  The vision of the Project Hope School Foundation is to break the cycle of homelessness through exceptional education.  Project HOPE School was founded over 20 years ago to meet the academic and psycho/social needs of homeless children (primarily from transient families living in motels).  The school is part of the Orange County Department of Education’s ACCESS (alternative education) district.  The county provides the school with a facility, three credentialed teachers, a full-time instructional aid, and curriculum/study materials, but the PHSF provides students with the additional programs and services that rounds out the comprehensive, 50-week a year academic program.  Located in a strip mall the city of Orange, the school serves an average of 65 kindergarten through 8th grade students at any given time and approximately 150 children annually. For more information, please visit www.projecthopeschool.org

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Founded in 1996, Stanbridge is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges, ACCSC, and offers degree programs in Vocational Nursing, Registered Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assisting and Information Technology.