Support, Scholarships Offered to Asbury Students

ASBURY PARK, NJ (June 9, 2016) – The Asbury Park School District, Brookdale Community College and the Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Family Foundation have partnered to launch the “Asbury Park College Promise.”

The program, announced on June 9, offers college scholarships to eligible Asbury Park High School students who complete a comprehensive college readiness program beginning in the 11^th grade.

The “last-dollar” scholarships, good for up to 64 credits toward a Brookdale associate degree or certificate, will fund any tuition and fees that are not covered by Pell Grants, state assistance funds or other scholarships.

The Asbury Promise program will also offer students a wide range of academic enrichment courses, career workshops, college preparatory courses and mentorship opportunities designed to help students succeed at the college level and beyond. Parents will also be required to attend orientation sessions.

The program, which begins this September, is funded over the next three years by the Jules L. Plangere, Jr., Family Foundation through a $240,000 grant made to the Brookdale Community College Foundation.

“This program is about hope and opportunity, and supports our vision of ‘Building A Brighter Future’ for our students and community,” said Asbury Park School District Superintendent Lamont Repollet. “We are eternally grateful to the Plangere Foundation for selecting the Asbury Park School District to be the recipient of their generosity.”

Repollet joined Brookdale President Maureen Murphy, state Senator Jennifer Beck (NJ-11), Monmouth County Freeholders Thomas Arnone, John Curley and Serena DiMaso, and officials from the college and the school district to publicly announce the program at Asbury Park High School on June 9.

“For many of today’s students, the path to a better life starts with a college education,” said Murphy. “This unique program will help local students earn a college degree quicker and more affordably than ever before, and provide them with the tools and confidence they need to continue that success at a four-year college and in their future careers.”

When Jules and Jane Plangere established the Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Family Foundation in 1997, they directed the trustees to work closely with charitable organizations that demonstrate effectiveness in addressing the issues faced by the youth of Asbury Park, said foundation trustee E. Donald Lass, former publisher and editor of the Asbury Park Press and current partner of Press Communications, LLC.

“In our ongoing effort to satisfy this prime directive, the foundation trustees have provided grants for specific programs to the Boy & Girls Club of Monmouth County, Asbury Park High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, Asbury Park Music Foundation, Mercy Center, Salvation Army in Asbury Park and Interfaith Neighbors,” said Lass. “The foundation is pleased to add the grant to the Brookdale Community College Foundation for the ‘Asbury Park College Promise’ and we are confident that this program, added to our other efforts, will provide a benefit for the young people of Asbury Park.”

To learn more about Brookdale’s academic and transfer programs, visit www.brookdalecc.edu/recruitment-services.