For more information, contact:

Jessica Erickson, AT&T Wisconsin 608-282-7870 (work) 608-692-5340 (cell) jessica.erickson@att.com

AT&T Announces $5,000 Innovation Award to Support Kenosha Chambers BEPP Program
New Program Introduces High School Freshmen to College Possibilities & Manufacturing Careers
KENOSHA, Wednesday, March 19, 2014 AT&T announced today a $5,000 AT&T Innovation & Investment Award to support the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerces Business and Education Partners (BEPP) program for the fall semester. The goal of the new program is to connect up to 100 Kenosha County 9th graders with both institutions of higher learning and local manufacturing businesses to provide them with experiences and information as they think about education and career plans. The AT&T donation was announced during the BEPP Celebration Party at Indian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha. The event celebrated the achievements of 33 participating high school freshmen who completed four weeks of college level courses, as well as workshops at local manufacturing company Xten Industries LLC. We are very excited to offer this new program to not only introduce our high school students to higher education opportunities, but also to careers in the manufacturing field, said Lou Molitor, Executive Director of the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce. We are grateful for AT&Ts support as we educate our young people about the exciting careers available in manufacturing. The BEPP program is a collaboration between the Kenosha Unified School District, Gateway Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Carthage College and local manufacturing companies. The first class of participating freshmen just completed the inaugural BEPP program classes this spring. The next classes will be offered in the fall. Students participated in the BEPP afterschool program from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. one day a week for four consecutive weeks from February 19 through March 12. The 33 participating students are from Bradford High School, Hillcrest School, Indian Trail High School and Academy, and Tremper High School.

During those four weeks, the students also participated in college level courses like nursing, computer science and graphic design at Gateway, UW-Parkside and Carthage College. In addition, they participated in workshops at local manufacturing company Xten Industries LLC that included a presentation about the business and a demonstration of the companys manufacturing processes. The BEPP program is an excellent way to not only introduce local students to higher education opportunities, but also get them excited and thinking about careers in advanced manufacturing, said State Senator Bob Wirch (D-Somers). This program is a perfect example of local business leaders, higher education leaders and companies all coming together to invest in Wisconsins future workforce. We are fortunate to have innovative leaders in our community working together to grow our economy and prepare our young people for the workforce, said State Rep. Tod Ohnstad (D-Kenosha). The BEPP program is a great way to get students thinking early about life beyond high school and introduce them to the manufacturing profession. Last fall, AT&T also provided a $5,000 donation to support the BEPP Program through the AT&T Wisconsin Innovation & Investment Award program. The program provides funding to organizations and programs that improve the community by advancing education, enhancing the environment, promoting economic development, or delivering other community services. We are very proud to provide another $5,000 donation to support the Kenosha Chambers BEPP program, said Scott VanderSanden, president of AT&T Wisconsin. As a company, AT&T is committed to investing in education and helping prepare our young people for future success.
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