PHILADELPHIA PA, August 8, 2007 – Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) celebrated CORE Philly Day at a rally with college-bound Philadelphia high school graduates today by making two major announcements to strengthen the future of the unique “last-dollar scholarship” program.

Rep. Fattah announced acceptance of a $300,000 donation from Philadelphia corporate leader GlaxoSmithKline – and creation of the CORE Philly Trust, a permanent dedicated trust fund for such gifts to be managed by Glenmede Trust Company.

“We are creating a partnership not just for the here and now but for the long run,” Rep. Fattah declared at a trust signing ceremony and rally at Philadelphia City Hall. “We are creating a path that all of our young people can follow.”

The Congressman said more major endowment gift announcements will follow.
CORE Philly – College Opportunity Resources for Education/Philadelphia – was created by Rep. Fattah for the Class of 2004. It has provided about $15 million in first year tuition aid for over 7,000 Philadelphia high school graduates at 21 Pennsylvania universities, colleges and Community College of Philadelphia.

CORE Philly combines funding from the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia. The goal is to assure permanent funding with income earned by the CORE Philly Trust.

Rep. Fattah announced that almost 3,500 Class of 2007 graduates have filed applications and are eligible for about $4 million in scholarships for the coming year. Any graduate of a Philadelphia public, charter, parochial or private school is eligible – which Fattah said makes the program one-of-a-kind among the nation’s large cities.

The Congressman was joined at events inside and outside City Hall by Mayor John F. Street, Democratic mayoral nominee Michael Nutter, executives of GlaxoSmithKline and Glenmede, along with public officials and education advocates. Fattah praised both Street, who issued a proclamation declaring August 8 as “CORE Philly Day,” and Nutter, whom Fattah introduced as “the next mayor of Philadelphia,” for their strong support of the scholarship program.

The Congressman noted that CORE Philly is part of the effort to change what he called “a very unfortunate statistic” that Philadelphia has the lowest percentage of college graduates of any major city. The scholarship dollars, he said, assure every student that he or she will have the opportunity to attend college, with money no longer an issue.

The city, he said, needs an educated work force, and “the best way to do that is to grow our own.”

The announcements of the donation and the trust drew cheers from current, past and future Philly scholars gathered in the sweltering sun on Dilworth Plaza for what has become Congressman Fattah’s annual summertime CORE Philly Day celebration.

As the trust documents and GlaxoSmithKline donation were unveiled, Congressman Fattah declared: “I still believe in a place called Philadelphia.”

See Photos From Two CORE Philly Events