Breakthrough Manchester at The Derryfield School (formerly Summerbridge) announces its kick-off of its annual school-year program to help students on the college path.  Each year, 46 Manchester 10-year olds compete to complete homework during their summer vacations. Undaunted by 11-page applications and individual interviews, they connect their dreams of college with their plans for the summer and school-year, committing to a six-week summer session and multiple school-year sessions at Breakthrough Manchester, in exchange for rigorous classes and seven years of ongoing support to prepare them to succeed in school and attend college.

For the second year in a row, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to make Breakthrough Manchester possible.

“Bank of America recognizes the important role Breakthrough plays in providing educational opportunities to the children in our community, who often face multiple obstacles, gain the skills they need to succeed in life,” said John F. Weeks, president, Bank of America New Hampshire.  “Our investment has had a direct impact on this fine organization’s ability to continue their great work.”

"Bank of America continues to be a consistent partner in the success of our students on the road to college. We are grateful for their leadership in supporting educational opportunities for Manchester's youth," said Kate Erskine, Director.

Breakthrough Manchester serves rising sixth graders from all fourteen of Manchester’s public elementary schools through a seven-year support system, tailored to meet the academic, social, and personal needs of students who have intellectual potential but face significant obstacles to college enrollment. 29% of Breakthrough Manchester’s students speak English as a second language, and 43% are students of color. 74% of Breakthrough Manchester’s students attend one of the city’s eight Title I-serviced schools, which serve children living in poverty, and 53% of Breakthrough Manchester students qualify for free or reduced lunch. These students face multiple barriers on the road to academic and personal success, and Breakthrough Manchester offers them the only year-round, long-term non-school-based academic program in the city.

Breakthrough Manchester was founded in 1991 as “Summerbridge Manchester” to help promising middle school students, particularly those with limited opportunities, build the skills and confidence to enter and succeed in college-preparatory high school programs while inspiring talented high school and college students to pursue careers in education. In its eighteenth year with a new name which reflects the year-round nature of the program, Breakthrough Manchester is a tuition-free, college-preparatory program for middle and high-school students and a teacher-training program for high-achieving high school and college students. Breakthrough Manchester has supported the academic success of over 790 Manchester students and recruited, trained, and challenged over 660 college and high-school students from across the city and country to pursue careers in education.

Breakthrough Manchester is a member of the Breakthrough Collaborative, a national network of 34 programs in 28 cities. The Breakthrough Collaborative, along with the White House and MTV, is repeatedly chosen as a Top Ten Internship by The Princeton Review. Most recently, the Breakthrough Collaborative was selected for the 2007 Johns Hopkins University Excellence in Summer Learning Award.

Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, Bank of America will embark in 2009 on a new, ten-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2007, making the bank the most generous financial institution in the world and the second largest donor of all U.S. corporations in cash contributions. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 650,000 hours in 2007 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.