Our National Missions of Education, Literacy & Community

Education Programs:

Jeanine Horowitz Academic Scholarship Program – The Jeanine Horowitz Education & Literacy Foundation is committed to providing academic scholarships to working poor families. Since 2001, our foundation has implemented education and literacy programs to help working poor families across the United States. Our primary mission is to provide academic scholarships to America’s working poor in order to not only help them, but also their families and surrounding communities. We provide our scholars with annual academic scholarship stipends that include: full-tuition, housing (in close proximity to the university) and textbook costs. Scholarships are available to any American citizen who meets the required criteria. It is our mission to educate more adult learners so that they have the necessary skills to compete in the workforce, to become self-sufficient, and to ultimately have the ability to help others.

Jeanine Horowitz Mentorship Program – Along with the Academic Scholarship Program, our scholars are required to participate in our Mentorship Program. Aligning with approved corporations, our Mentorship Program provides avenues for scholars to receive the necessary skills to be successful, marketable, educated, and ready to re-enter the workforce upon graduation. We request that our scholars complete 10-15 hours per week of community based internship, in a sector of their interest. As a result, we can monitor our scholar's work ethic, build rapport with them, and enhance their employment skills. At the end of the quarter/semester, the corporation executives submit to us an evaluation about the scholar's work ethic and job performance. Therefore, second year scholarship stipend requirements are contingent upon performance in the Mentorship Program and maintaining a 3.0 grade point average (gpa). We anticipate that our scholars will: 1) obtain their degree, 2) receive employment experience from the mentorship program, 3) become self-sufficient, 4) strengthen the workforce market, and 5) become greater contributors to society.

Sit N' Read Literacy Center Program:

Sit N' Read Literacy Centers –To promote literacy to all, we have partnered with Ocean Front Books.com to implement Sit N’ Read Literacy Centers to hospital emergency waiting rooms, shelters and school libraries. Instead of allowing the pressures of life to consume children who must sit and wait in hospital emergency waiting rooms, Sit N’ Read Literacy Centers enable them to sit and read. Like Gideon Bibles are located in hotels worldwide, literacy centers are established in emergency waiting rooms in hospitals rooms throughout the nation. The literacy centers include: coloring books, crayons, a colorful children's rug, and a wall mounted book shelf or display with a generous supply of the latest hardcover books.

CommUNITY, an Education & Literacy Program Initiative:

CommUNITY Program Initiatives – To promote education, literacy and a sense of community, we have a program called CommUNITY. CommUNITY, is an out-of-school literacy program, that was first hosted on November 17, 2001, at Koo KOO Roos Restaurant in West Los Angeles, California. CommUNITY, our Los Angeles Initiative focuses on educating parents about the importance of establishing out-of-school reading habits on a daily basis. CommUNITY, is organized by a community outreach team comprised of volunteers and UCLA students that diligently work together to provide out-of-school literacy programs to the general public. To continue to be a successful community based literacy program we solicit support and participation from the entire community, including: City Chamber of Commerce members and local business owners, schools, fire fighters, police officers, and families. Most importantly we appreciate support from all and particularly school principals that distributing announcements to the parents to bring their children to CommUNITY programs. With the help of generous local businesses we provide literacy programs at NO cost to schools or parents. Our literacy programs include book readings with puppet shows, fire fighter speakers about safety and face painting for children to experience the enjoyment of reading good books. According to researchers in education, Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, “Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year” - thereby increase reading comprehension levels which improve standardized test scores and ultimately reduce drop out rates.