Contact: Roxanne L. Brown
312-385-2034
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2011
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AWARDS ADA S. McKINLEY’S EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS MORE THAN $3.6 MILLION IN TRIO TALENT SEARCH FUNDING
Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc. has received more than $3.6 million in U.S.
Department of Education TRIO Programs funding to support its educational programs that provide
college readiness and access for disadvantaged Chicago students.
The funding will support, over a five-year period, McKinley’s Talent Search College Preparation
and Placement programs, which serve some 1,500 students in grades 6 through 12. The elementary school
program serves close to 400 students in grades 6 through 8 by providing tutoring and academic skills
development. McKinley’s school partners are Doolittle, Mayo and Mollison elementary schools, and
Wells Preparatory Academy. The program for high school students serves just under 1,200 students at
five area high schools and focuses on academic skills development, financial aid counseling, college tours
and assistance in finding colleges and universities that are good matches for the students. High school
partners are Hyde Park and Julian high schools, Dunbar Vocational Career High School, Phillips
Academy, and Tilden Career Academy.
McKinley began its educational services programs 44 years ago with the late Silas Purnell serving
as its director. Due to his successful college placement track record and tireless advocacy work on behalf
of inner city youth, Purnell became an iconic figure—one who passionately believed that education is the
best tool for reducing poverty.
Today, McKinley’s College Preparation and Placement program has helped make it possible for
more than 50,000 low-income students to attend some 400 colleges and universities around the country.
McKinley College Preparation and Placement program notable alumni include Justice Louis B. Butler,
Jr., the first African-American justice of the Wisconsin State Supreme Court; Stephanie Gaines, senior
attorney, Walgreens; Richard J. Gardner, Sr., M.D., Public Health Physician, Olive-Harvey College;
Albert Grace, co-founder and president of Loop Capital; Andre Grant, Chicago attorney in private
practice; Greg Hinton, chief diversity strategist at US Cellular; State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-40th), Avis
LaVelle, former press secretary to Richard M. Daley and President Bill Clinton; State Rep. Camille Lilly
(D-78th); and Laura Washington, Chicago Sun-Times columnist.
The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) focus on outreach and student services and are designed to
identify and provide educational opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO
includes eight programs (Talent Search is one of them) that are targeted to serve and assist low-income
individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the
academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. TRIO also includes a training
program for directors and staff of TRIO projects.
Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc. was founded as a settlement house in 1919 by Ada
Sophia McKinley, a schoolteacher and social reformer, who saw the need to assist veterans returning
from World War I and blacks migrating from the South. Today, as one of the 10 largest human services
organizations in Chicago, McKinley serves more than 12,000 people each year at 38 program sites. The
agency is driven by its mission to serve the most vulnerable individuals and communities in Chicago.
For more information about McKinley’s College Preparation and Placement program, contact
Alexis Urda, Office of Development, 312-385-2017. If you or someone you know was a beneficiary of
the McKinley Preparation and Placement program under Purnell’s leadership, McKinley invites you to
join its alumni group. For information, contact Kikanza Harris, Office of Development, 312-385-2013.
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