ABOVE PHOTO: Jason Avant and Swoop with scholarship recipients
Lottery Day celebration brings joy to Philadelphia families in time for the holidays
The Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP) delivered exciting news to thousands of Philadelphia families during the nonprofit’s annual Lottery Day celebration on Thursday night. Volunteers, staff, NRG employees, and Philadelphia Eagles legends made calls from Lincoln Financial Field to let families know that their children were selected to receive four-year, partial scholarships from CSFP. The event is generously underwritten by NRG, the Official Energy Provider of the Philadelphia Eagles, and its philanthropic arm positiveNRG.
CSFP distributes need-based, four-year scholarships by random lottery each year to K-8th grade students, many of whom face barriers to quality education. The nonprofit partners with over 170+ diverse, K-8th grade, tuition-based schools in the Philadelphia area, which allows parents to find a school that fits their child’s individual needs.
“CSFP believes all children, regardless of their zip codes or family’s income, deserve access to safe, quality education,” said CSFP interim Executive Director Jim Robinson. “We are thrilled to be able to offer scholarship opportunities to 2,000 more children this year, and we’re grateful for NRG’s collaboration on this event.” “After participating in our first Lottery Day last year, the feedback from our employees was so overwhelmingly positive, we knew we had to take part again this year,” said Mike Starck, Vice President and General Manager, NRG Retail East division. “NRG values the important role Children’s Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia plays in helping make the lives of so many families better. We are grateful for the chance to support this great cause.”
The night kicked off with an emotional moment, as Robinson, NRG, and Eagles legend Jason Avant surprised several families in person with the news that their children’s lives were about to change.
The majority of 2020-2021 scholarship winners were selected in this holiday drawing, but applications are still being accepted through March 1. Any applicants not selected in the December lottery will automatically be entered into a final lottery in early March.
For more information about CSFP and Lottery Day, please visit www.CSFPhiladelphia.org.
Leave a Comment