FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GameAbove-EMU & Mr. October Foundation Celebrate Expanded STEM Efforts for Young Women and Men in Detroit Schools
GameAbove Donations to STEM Education Reaches over $800,000 in Just Two Years
DETROIT, Mich. (May 13, 2021) – GameAbove at Eastern Michigan University and the Mr. October Foundation are celebrating a collaborative effort to expand STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education within Detroit area schools to encourage more girls and boys, particularly from disadvantaged areas, to enter technology-related careers.
GameAbove funds assisted the Foundation in expanding its program this past school year. As a result, the group introduced the Foundation to Eastern Michigan University to spearhead a joint effort through the Digital Divas and Digital Dudes programs, which provide various learning opportunities for middle and high school students to build their STEM skills and knowledge while also expose youth to the college campus experience in hopes of improving high school graduation rates.
For this upcoming 2021-2022 K-12 school year, GameAbove will again contribute $250,000 to the Mr. October Foundation to continue bringing STEM education to young women and men in the area. Since January 2020, GameAbove contributions to STEM K-12 education outreach now reach over $800,000.
“STEM is a clear pathway to college, especially for underserved communities and for children of color. In addition, given the projected demand for future workers with STEM-related degrees, it’s important – now more than ever – to reach out to our youth and inspire them into these careers. GameAbove is extremely pleased to be supporting the expansion of the success demonstrated by the Mr. October Foundation and Digital Divas & Dudes,” said Kristin Young, a GameAbove advisory board member who has utilized her technology degree from EMU to advance her own career and be an active STEM outreach volunteer.
The collaborative effort will be celebrated later this month with a gathering of supporters, school officials and other dignitaries at a Detroit area school served by the Mr. October Foundation. The presentation and discussion will highlight, among other factors, how the STEM effort helped students rise above the challenges faced during the pandemic.
“More Detroit youth have definitely benefited this past year from our collaboration with GameAbove and Eastern Michigan University,” said Reggie Jackson, founder of the Mr. October Foundation and Hall of Fame baseball player whose career meant playing games in Detroit and visiting the region. “The importance of bringing STEM into our inner cities was even greater this past year, given the educational obstacles faced by children during the pandemic.”
Because of COVID-19 related school closures, EMU’s K-12 STEM programs and the Mr. October Foundation expanded its focus this past year on delivering hundreds of project kits to provide students with hands-on experiences for STEM pathways as well as provide specialized online sessions.
“The support we receive – combined with the enthusiastic mentoring and encouragement of our program leaders – has enabled us to maintain our momentum with young men and women in Game Above/ 2
spite of the pandemic’s many challenges,” said Bia Hamed, K-12 STEM Outreach Director at the EMU GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology. “Not only are we recruiting more young women into STEM college courses and getting them excited about careers in highly sought after jobs, we are also providing a clear vision for young men toward high school graduation and onto college.”
Over the past 18 months, GameAbove has donated more than $20 million to academic, athletic and supportive programs at Eastern Michigan University and the surrounding community. Previously announced gifts included $3.5 million to EMU toward the “GameAbove, Faculty First” initiative to support faculty development and the “Students Matter Most” grant to assist the academic and program needs of current and future students, as well as a recent $5 million gift to the college of engineering and technology.
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About GameAbove At GameAbove, our primary focus is to help shape, inspire and support the current and future students of Eastern Michigan University by reaching new heights in learning through transformation and inspiration in the educational experience. Together, we will strive for that next level of success with a GameAbove all others. The GameAbove family of organizations will also help improve the higher education experience by exploring and supporting the use of innovative financial models to sustain universities, creative giving within the community, enhancing the campus environment, elevating athletics, and promoting pioneering academic programs. www.gameabove.com
About The Mr. October Foundation The Mr. October Foundation was founded in 1997 by Reginald Martinez “Reggie” Jackson with the goal of helping to bridge the “digital divide” for the benefit of disadvantaged kids whose circumstances hamper their ability to achieve the goal of a good education. Mr. Jackson is a retired Major League Baseball right fielder who played from 1967 to 1987 for the Oakland A’s, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels. Mr. Jackson, nicknamed “Mr. October,” is a 14-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion and two-time World Series MVP. He was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. www.mroctober.org
About Eastern Michigan University Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.
Media contact for GameAbove: Denis Wolcott, 213-200-1563, [email protected]
Media contact for Mr. October Foundation: Al Gomez, PhD, executive director, 608-628-3098, [email protected]