Mentoring USA Awarded Three-Year NASDAQ OMX Financial Education Grant

NEW YORK--(Korea Newswire)--Today, Mentoring USA has received its second three-year grant from the NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation. The grant will enable Mentoring USA to continue to expand its financial education and entrepreneurship curriculum to ensure that young people have the tools they need to be successful.

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Mentoring USA is a leading national one-to-one, site-based mentoring program that provides caring, trained mentors to young people age 7 through 21 to enable them to realize their potential. Mentoring USA has a proven track record of success as demonstrated by the fact that 100% of mentees have moved on to the next grade level the past three consecutive school years. In addition, 72% of youth in Mentoring USA's programs showed an increase in attendance.

The NASDAQ OMX Foundation's generosity will enable Mentoring USA to expand its curriculum. Increased financial education is imperative for our youth, especially for those aging out of the foster care system and who will soon be solely responsible for their financial decisions; for youth whose families have been homeless; and for youth from working poor families. The opportunity to educate mentees about economics, financial responsibility, entrepreneurship, and investment options will help combat the devastating cycle of poverty that many of our youth face.

“NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation is an important Mentoring USA partner and we appreciate their continued generosity,” said Matilda Raffa Cuomo, Mentoring USA Founder and Chairwoman. “Through their help we are able to continue our mission to support young people by providing guidance, support and education which provides young people lifelong skills to enable them to be successful.”

In addition to financial education and entrepreneurship, Mentoring USA mentees engage in a curriculum that focuses on fostering an appreciation for diversity and respect for others, building self-esteem, maintaining healthy lifestyles and anti-bullying programs.

Stephen Powell, Mentoring USA Executive Director said, “We are pleased to have the ongoing support of the NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation. The opportunity to expand our partnership with an organization such as NASDAQ OMX is an honor, which enables us to integrate financial education and entrepreneurship training into our site-based mentoring model. NASDAQ OMX has provided our mentees and mentors with an invaluable experience to gain financial acumen and knowledge.”

For the second year in a row, the Mentoring USA and NASDAQ OMX teams will ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell in honor of their partnership. The Mentoring USA team will be joined by George Martin formally of the New York Giants, Mason Plumlee of the Brooklyn Nets and the students of Newark Eagle Academy in which the organization provides mentoring to over 90 6th and 7th graders at the school. The Newark Eagle Academy is one of many mentoring programs the organization runs throughout schools, community centers and agencies across the country.

“NASDAQ OMX is so proud of its longstanding relationship with Mentoring USA and the opportunity to support mentorship on a national level,” said Joan Conley, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary at NASDAQ OMX. “The work Mentoring USA does to encourage young people to apply themselves in financial literacy and in career tracks in invaluable.”

About Mentoring USA
Mentoring USA is a leading national provider of one-to-one site-based mentoring programs to enable young people to achieve their potential. Mentoring USA works with children from elementary school to youth aging out of the foster care system to help them make positive life choices, bridge the achievement gap and combat school dropout through the support of caring, trained adult mentors. The renowned curriculum includes healthy lifestyles/nutrition, BRAVE (which includes anti-violence, diversity appreciation and anti-bullying components), financial literacy and entrepreneurship initiatives, career development and other programs.

Mentoring USA‘s programs have a proven track record of success—100% of the students in Mentoring USA’s school-based and community-based mentoring programs have consistently moved on to the next grade level. Mentoring USA also provides international mentoring programs through Mentoring Italia and Mentoring Espana.

About The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation:
The mission of The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation is to promote learning about capital formation, financial markets and entrepreneurship through innovative educational programs. It was established in New York City in 1994 and is supported entirely by contributions from The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

Website: http://www.mentoringusa.org

This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.