Contact: Edith Wooten ewooten@nea.org

May 27, 2008

NEA Foundation Gives Reg Weaver Scholarship

Donates $5,000 to Hispanic College Fund

Photo of Idalia Fernandez, president of the Hispanic College Fund, Reg Weaver, president of the NEA, and Lauri Fitz-Pegado, vice chair of The NEA Foundation Board of Directors.

WASHINGTON --  The NEA Foundation today announced that it was making a $5,000 donation to the Hispanic College Fund to honor Reg Weaver's six years of leadership as the NEA's President and his lifelong support of public education.

"This donation was inspired by Reg's collaborative spirit and is a small token of our appreciation of his dedication to the improvement of public education," said Lauri Fitz-Pegado, Vice-Chair of The NEA Foundation Board of Directors.  "By providing talented and low-income Hispanic youth with a vision, mentors, resources and scholarships, the Hispanic College Fund is developing the next generation of Hispanic professionals and building on The NEA Foundation's work to close the achievement gap in public education."

With its grants and other programs, The NEA Foundation is making an important investment in public education, working to inspire and enable teachers to prepare every child to learn and thrive in a rapidly changing world, according to Fitz-Pegado.

"Through his work at the NEA and with the NEA Foundation, Reg Weaver has been a strong advocate for public education and a constant reminder that all children in this nation have a basic right to a great public education - regardless of where they live, the language they speak, or how much money they have," said Idalia Fernandez, President of the Hispanic College Fund.  "We are proud to accept this donation because we know that the Reg Weaver Scholarship will open a new door for an excellent and deserving Hispanic student, providing him or her with the opportunity to take the next step in what we hope will be a lifelong pursuit of learning and achievement."

About The NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization created in 1969 by the members of the National Education Association and sustained by contributions from educators, corporate sponsors and others. The NEA Foundation offers grants and programs that support educators' efforts to close the gaps in student achievement, increase classroom innovations, salute excellence in education and provide professional development. For more information, visit www.neafoundation.org.