Birmingham Promise Gets $8 Million Boost From Private Companies
The Birmingham Promise educational initiative has received $8 million in donations from local corporations, Mayor Randall Woodfin announced Tuesday.
That number includes $5 million from Birmingham-based investment firm Vulcan Value Partners — the program’s largest private donation to date. It also includes $1 million each from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and Protective Life, as well as from Alabama Power, which donated for the second consecutive year.
The Birmingham Promise offers juniors and seniors in city schools paid internships, dual enrollment opportunities and scholarships to two- or four-year public colleges. It was first approved as part of the city’s FY 2020 budget when it was given $2 million in funding previously allocated to the Birmingham City School system. At its outset, the program also received $3 million in private contributions.
In a press conference announcing the new donations, Woodfin thanked donors “for their commitment, for their passion and for their resources.”
The Birmingham Promise Executive Director Rachel Harmon said the donations were “not just about money” but about “futures.”
The Birmingham Promise helped nearly 400 students this year via scholarships, Harmon said, and its apprenticeship program reached nearly 150 students.
“Each of those students represents a changed trajectory,” she said. “Each of those students represents a promise and a brighter future for our city, and we are so excited to be able to invest in those students with the partnership of our corporate community and the partnership of Birmingham City Schools.”
Also on hand to praise the program was Justin Williams, a 2020 graduate of Parker High School and now a computer science student at the University of Alabama. The scholarship program saved him and his family from “financial drain,” Williams said, while the apprenticeship program “was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve ever had in my life.”
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Republican lawmakers applaud, others say they will sue, and some take to the streets
The ACLU of Alabama say it will continue its lawsuit to reinstate access to abortion.
What to know about Alabama abortion rights after SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion. Here’s what the decision means for the Gulf South region.
Alabama OKs $725M bond sale to build 2 supersize prisons
That money will be added to $135 million in state funds and $400 million in pandemic relief dollars that the state already agreed to put toward the project.
Britt wins tumultuous Alabama Senate race scrambled by Trump
Katie Britt won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama Tuesday, defeating six-term Rep. Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump took the unusual step of rescinding his initial Brooks endorsement.
2022 Alabama primary runoff results
Republicans will be choosing between Katie Britt and Roy Moore as their nominee for U.S. Senate. Democrats will pick a nominee for governor between Yolonda Flowers and Malika Sanders-Fortier.
Gunman kills 3 seniors over potluck dinner at Alabama church
The suspect, 70-year-old Robert Findlay Smith, was charged with capital murder Friday. He is being held on no bond.
