In Recognition of the Consistent, Exemplary Community Service Displayed by Citizen Schools for Twenty Years

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Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Citizen Schools for providing twenty years of outstanding community service and educational enrichment programs. Citizen Schools offers extended learning programming for middle school-aged students in urban, at-risk areas by partnering with public middle schools. Citizens Schools offers free educational classes and programs to urban academic institutions, giving students a wealth of choices during the important after school hours.

Citizens Schools was founded in 1995 by Eric Schwarz and Ned Rimer. Since then, the organization has offered educational opportunities for children who cannot otherwise afford them. The results are impressive. According to Citizen Schools, 71% of students involved in these programs graduate high school and many of those go on to post-secondary institutions. These impressive results are a combination of careful program planning, and the tireless efforts of volunteers who help teach these aspiring students. The volunteers work closely with students to help maximize their experience. Their work is so well received that the organization has expanded beyond Boston to different states around the country like California, Texas, North Carolina, New York, and others. Citizen Schools aims to provide at-risk students with valuable educational experiences that they may not otherwise have access to due to conditions out of their control.

I salute the efforts of Citizen Schools over the past twenty years and thank them for the positive impact they have had on so many students.

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