Dr. Henry T. Nicholas, III Partners With Retired Judge and Episcopal Diocese to Open 'Academic Centers' for Underprivileged Students With $10 Million Commitment

Retired Judge Jack Mandel is named Executive Director of the new Henry T. Nicholas Education Foundation, which will provide $500,000 annually to operate the Santa Ana program; With the Episcopal Dioce

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Henry T. Nicholas, III has announced a $10 million commitment to the first Nicholas Academic Center in Santa Ana. His new education foundation will also open academic centers in San Juan Capistrano and the Echo Park district in Los Angeles to provide a safe and nurturing after school environment to help high- potential, underprivileged students realize their educational goals.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080326/CLW173 )

Retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel, who for years ran a highly successful mentoring program in Santa Ana, will serve as Executive Director of the Henry T. Nicholas Education Foundation, which will support K-through-12th grade initiatives to improve educational opportunities for underprivileged students. The Education Foundation will work closely with the larger Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation to invest over $100 million in support of education, youth sports, technology, medical research, law enforcement and national defense.

The first "Nicholas Academic Center" will open at 412 West Fourth Street in Santa Ana and will serve 60 students from all Santa Ana Unified School District high schools. It will provide transportation to and from area high schools, be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and be staffed by professional educators and counselors. The Henry T. Nicholas Foundation has finalized plans with the Episcopal Diocese to replicate the centers statewide. Future Foundation projects will apply technology to create 'virtual classrooms' that enable students to remotely access the best of U.S. K- through-12th grade education.

Said Dr. Nicholas: "It is our goal to make the highest quality education available to every young person. Through programs like Judge Mandel's center and the use of video technology, we can bring outstanding tutorial instruction to these kids. And with highly motivated students, the sky's the limit in what they can achieve."

In addition to the Academic Centers, the Foundation in partnership with the Diocese plans to open Entrepreneurial Centers to provide inner-city businesses in the food services industry with facilities, accounting expertise, training and distribution channels.

Judge Mandel, who served 19 years on the Orange County Superior Court bench, started his program in 1990 and provided after-school learning assistance to thousands of inner-city students, many of whom went on to four year colleges and successful careers. He was forced to shutter the center in 2002 for lack of funding.

"This exciting partnership with Dr. Nicholas enables us to pick up where we left off five years ago, but with greater resources behind us and the opportunity to make an even greater difference in the lives of young people," Judge Mandel said. "I've seen first-hand what can be achieved when you give kids a leg-up with a safe, secure and enriching environment to supplement their core public education."

Said the Rev. Canon Robert Edwards, priest of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in San Juan Capistrano, "The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has an extensive history of offering educational opportunities for young people. This groundbreaking venture presents exciting options for the children of our communities."

The staff of the Henry T. Nicholas Education Foundation includes three former students who benefitted from the program:

-- Hugo Gutierrez, Chief Financial Officer, holds a BA in economics from
Allegheny College and a master's in economics from Claremont Graduate
School. He has been a forensic accountant for six years.

-- Rocio Chavez-Bonilla, Director of Social Services, has a BA from
Allegheny College and a master's in social work from USC. She most
recently has been a social worker at the Riverside County hospital.

-- Rosa Diaz, Director of Academic Services, has been running an after
school program for a Santa Ana elementary school. She too holds a BA
from Allegheny College, with a double major in political science and
Spanish culture and two units short of a third major in philosophy.

In addition Foundation Board members include: Daniel Salcedo, who is retiring in June as Principal of Santa Ana High School, Megan Murphy, Director of Development at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, Earl Fuller, a retired physician, and Orange County attorney Steven A. Silverstein.

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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080326/CLW173
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Henry T. Nicholas Education Foundation

CONTACT: Meg Waters, +1-949-461-9700, or +1-949-584-4977 cell, for Henry
T. Nicholas Education Foundation

Web site: http://www.watersandcompany.com/

2008-03-26 19:22:05 0320648 PRNEWSWIRE