Merrill Lynch gives $1 million to National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program
Posted: 03-02-2006 :

WASHINGTON – Merrill Lynch announced it is contributing $1 million to the National Guard Youth Foundation. The gift will be used for scholarships for the thousands of at-risk youth who graduate from the voluntary intervention program each year.

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a federal-state partnership that operates 30 program sites out of 25 states and Puerto Rico. Each year, two students from each site will receive $2,000 scholarships to attend the college or technical school of their choice. Program participants will be awarded scholarships based on their overall success in the program and their interest in pursuing business as a career.

“We are delighted with the donation Merrill Lynch has generously given us,” Chairman of the National Guard Youth Foundation Board of Directors Lt. Gen. John B. Conaway, USAF (ret.) said. “These scholarships enable our young people to continue their path to success.”

Merrill Lynch announced its contribution at the National Guard Youth Foundation’s ChalleNGe Champions Dinner that honored outstanding activists for the program including Sen. Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.), Alaska First Lady Nancy Murkowski, Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry and Chief of the National Guard Bureau Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum.

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a 17-month, co-ed program for 16- to 18-year-old high-school dropouts that offers them the opportunity to enhance their life skills, earn their GED, pursue higher education, improve their employment potential and broaden their chances at success. The National Guard Youth Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization formed to support the work of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program through public awareness, scholarships, higher education assistance, mentoring and job development programs for graduates.

Media Notes: To interview North Carolina’s Youth ChalleNGe program director or cadets, contact Chantal Oberoi at coberoi@crown-com.com. To interview a Merrill Lynch representative, please contact Selena Morris at (212) 449-7283 or selena_morris@ml.com.