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It was an honor to attend this cruise and having the Riley Foundation to help contribute to the Promise Zone. I look forward to working with the Riley Foundation to better the college education options in general and for todays upcoming youth in Pontiac.

Cruise helps to raise $50,000 for Promise Zone scholarship fund 

Published: Thursday, August 6, 2009

By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY
Of The Oakland Press 

POH Trauma Center Director Dr. Tressa Gardner, a Northern High School graduate, and Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman, a Central graduate, were among the sponsors of the Promise Zone Scholarship Foundation on the Cruise for Education. The July 25 event raised $50,000 for the endowment fund to help guarantee district students can attend college.

PONTIAC - The 250 weekend sailors who took the Cruise for Education helped raise $50,000 for the Pontiac Promise Zone Foundation scholarship endowment fund to help guarantee district students can attend college.

All money raised from the Cruise for Education aboard the 138-foot Ovation Yacht on July 25 is dedicated by the POH Medical Center Riley Foundation to the scholarship fund.

Teresa Rodges, executive director of marketing for Riley Foundation and a member of the Promise Zone Authority board, said the fact that the first $50,000 could be raised in only two months demonstrates the support of the community for students living within the school district boundaries.

The 11-member Promise Zone Authority board is charged with raising at least $750,000 for the scholarship fund. Once that amount is in the fund, the state will contribute a percent of the state education fund.

The Promise Zone board will meet for the first time today to discuss criteria for awarding the scholarships and to make plans for raising and sustaining the endowment fund. Meanwhile, Rodges is excited about the support for the project.

"We met our goal. We got so much support from the community," she said, noting that 100 more people than usual joined the cruise that annually raises funds for charity.

She said she hopes that names of the sponsors who donated $1,500 or more will be put on a wall of honor along with the names of the scholarship recipients at the new Pontiac High School.

"Because of the publicity for the cruise, we have promises to hold more events to raise money," Rodges said, noting the effort to guarantee college tuition is coming from both sides of the political aisle.

State Rep. Tim Melton, DAuburn Hills, who introduced the legislation that created the Promise Zone, took the cruise along with Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, a Republican and chairman of the event.

"This is about the community coming together," Rodges said, noting that such political competitors as Leon Jukowski and Sandy Michael-McDonald, who are both running for mayor, also joined as supporters of the cause.

Even high school rivals, such as POH Trauma Center Director Dr. Tressa Gardner, a Northern High School graduate, and Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman, a Central graduate, who vied with each other to convince the cruise crowd their school was the best, both declared their support of the scholarship fund.

"Once students get wind of this, that this is really, really happening, we will see those grade points increase because they will know they have the opportunity to go to school, whereas before they thought they couldn't afford that," Rodges said.

"I believe in the kids in Pontiac and I believe if you put it out there for them, they will take advantage of it. I think it is going to make a difference. I think a lot of people will move their kids back to Pontiac to take advantage of it."