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JER’S CHOCOLATE IS THE GIFT THAT GIVES BACK!
25% of every holiday purchase benefits City Year’s work in urban schools
Solana Beach, CA. (Nov. 7, 2014) – This holiday season, give the gift that keeps on giving! Jer’s Chocolates high quality, all-natural premium chocolates is donating 25% of every custom gift box purchase to City Year (www.cityyear.org), the nonprofit that helps students and schools succeed. Running now through December, the offer is part of “Jer’s Cares” community commitment.
“Being able to help City Year promote the values that are so important to our society makes the holidays all the more meaningful to all of us at Jer’s,” said Jerry Swain, Jer’s Founder and CEO. “The purchase of just one gift provides a delicious gourmet treat, inspiration for a better world, and financial support for young idealists working in our schools.”
Jer’s designed each City Year custom gift box to feature a quote from one of the powerful change agent who inspire the 2,830 City Year AmeriCorps members who work with more than 170,000 students in more than 260 public schools in 26 cities throughout the country.
One of the featured quotes is from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
The Jer’s custom City Year Gift boxes are available in various sizes and cost $13 to $49. Each box is packed with an assortment of flavors of milk, dark and white chocolate-covered peanut butter confections. Gift boxes may be purchased online at www.jers.com, by calling 858-792-2287, or at the Jer’s retail store, 437 S Highway 101, Suite 105, Solana Beach, CA.
“City Year appreciates Jer’s investment in helping at-risk students reach their full potential,” said Chris Mann, City Year’s Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. “This kind of support enables City Year to provide one-on-one tutoring for students, support for teachers in their classrooms, and lead valuable before and after-school programs.”
City Year is encouraging its supporters to give the gift of chocolate this holiday season while helping the organization achieve its goal of keeping students from underserved communities in school and on track to graduate college and career-ready.
Swain, who attended a high school that had a dropout rate over 40%, said, “I truly value the amazing work City Year does in order to combat this issue in schools across the country. We look forward to helping them continue their efforts.”
On average, America’s schools are designed to provide extra support to just 15% of students, while 50% or more students require additional academic, social, or emotional support. This gap between what students need and what schools are resourced to provide, leads to graduation rates as low as 58% in some poor communities. A student who drops out is not only more likely to end up in jail or unemployed, but the impact on society as a whole can be costly.
City Year aims to reverse this trend by using research-based strategies to identify students who are at greatest risk of dropping out, and proving them with individualized attention before, during and after school. In doing so, they help students reach their full potential and graduate from high school in communities all across America.
ABOUT JER’S CHOCOLATES
Jer’s Chocolates was founded in 2004 and is the result of Jerry Swain’s proprietary recipes, the first of which he created to bring to a potluck dinner in college. After graduating from college, Swain had a successful career working for IBM and in the high tech industry. During his high tech tenure, Swain threw several annual parties featuring his chocolate “balls” that raised money for local food banks. Swain left high tech and turned his passion into a business and has earned 11 International Taste Awards for his chocolate creations. Jer’s uses only the highest quality all-natural ingredients for premium flavor. For more information, please visit www.jers.com, www.facebook.com/jerschocolates, or call 858-792-2287.
ABOUT CITY YEAR
City Year is dedicated to helping students and schools succeed in 25 cities across the nation. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members serve full-time in high-poverty urban schools, providing high-impact student, classroom, and school-wide support to help students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school, ready for college and career success. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is made possible by support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, school district partnerships, and private philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individuals.www.cityyear.org
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