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Kirkwood Foundation

Kirkwood, Zach Johnson Foundation Collaborate

By March 21, 2016November 6th, 2018No Comments

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (March 21, 2016)-Kirkwood Community College and the Zach Johnson Foundation are announcing a new partnership to support Kids on Course, a program that helps area elementary students realize their academic and individual potential.

As a result of the partnership, the Kirkwood Foundation will provide investment management services for the Zach Johnson Foundation’s new Kids on Course College Scholarship Program. Scholarships will be awarded by the Zach Johnson Foundation to qualifying future Kids on Course graduates. Those students can utilize this scholarship for any approved higher learning institution, including, but not limited to, Kirkwood Community College.

Kids on Course is a program of the Zach Johnson Foundation, in cooperation with the Cedar Rapids Community School District. Currently based at Grant, Harrison and Van Buren elementary schools as well as Wilson and Roosevelt middle schools, the program provides tutoring, enrichment, parent engagement strategies and health supports to put students on course to pursue higher learning after high school. A total of 862 students were served during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Future plans also include collaborating with Kirkwood’s Pathways for Academic Career Education and Employment (KPACE) program to support Kids on Course’s goal to build stronger families. KPACE supports families by ensuring parents are earning a living wage that brings them independence and opportunity.

“Kirkwood’s role as ‘the community’s college’ makes us a logical partner to support the goals of the Kids on Course program,” said Mick Starcevich, president of Kirkwood Community College. “We are thrilled to assist the important work being done by our friends at the Zach Johnson Foundation.”

“Kirkwood not only provides assistance, but a stamp of approval as we work to prepare our Kids on Course students for success in college,” said Pat Cobb, chairman of the Zach Johnson Foundation. “We are committed to providing all of our kids an opportunity for higher learning, and we think having them know now that a scholarship is waiting for them when they graduate from high school is critical.”

The first scholarships from the partnership will be awarded beginning in 2022.

For more information on Kids on Course, go to www.kidsoncoursecr.com.

Zach Johnson Foundation