PHILADELPHIA, PA, Monday, July 12, 2016 — The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Teenshop, Inc., a national organization dedicated to nurturing “girls with goals.”® The grant will be used to enhance Teenshop’s successful college preparatory programs and initiatives, including college campus tours, pre-college summer program, and book scholarships for Teenshop’s graduating seniors.
“We support programs focused on strengthening communities and Teenshop, Inc. is a great example of an organization that is truly making a difference in the Philadelphia area,” said Lauren Craig, Senior Manager, Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola North America. “Our investment is designed to maximize Teenshop’s impact by helping teenage girls from underserved communities successfully matriculate to college.”
According to Teenshop, Inc.’s Founder and CEO Elleanor Jean Hendley, the grant represents the single largest contribution in the history of the organization and represents an investment that will continue to move Teenshop forward in a significant way.
“With this generous gift from The Coca-Cola Foundation, we will be able to strengthen our collegiate initiatives to ensure even greater success for our girls in the future,” Hendley said. “When I founded Teenshop more than 30 years ago, it was my intent to show our girls that having goals – like going to college – could help them avoid the pitfalls that derail the life plans of so many youth today.”
“While we have been operating in Philadelphia since 1902, I have been lucky enough to lead the business in Philadelphia for more than ten years,” said Fran McGorry, President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Refreshment’s Tri-State Operating Unit. “I am so proud that our foundation is making critical investments in the next generation of Philadelphians.”
Teenshop, Inc. offers an innovative series of life skills workshops, educational and cultural field trips community service projects and signature programs that expand opportunities and experiences for the young women it serves. The organization hosts a Residential College Prep Summer Program for Rising Seniors, held every July at the prestigious Bryn Mawr College in which the girls get an immersion experience of college life.
About Teenshop, Inc.
Teenshop, Inc., a 501(c) organization, was founded in 1985 by Elleanor Jean Hendley, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and former educator, to prepare “girls with goals”® to become caring, courageous leaders and change agents in their communities and beyond. As a former New Jersey public school teacher who created and directed an award-winning after school dance program for girls, Ms. Hendley knew firsthand how enrichment activities help students achieve and builds self-esteem.
The organization has organically grown to include five chapters across the country: Philadelphia (3), New Jersey (1) and Los Angeles (1). More than 125 girls, ages 13-18, enroll annually and ALL graduates attend college or professional schools. The organization has graduated thousands of girls – many who are now successful working women and have come back as alumnae to assume leadership positions in their former chapters.
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $830 million in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please visit www.coca-colagivingback.com
