The recipient entity's physical address:
           *** Confidential Address ***

The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
           P.O Box 9223
Metairie, LA 70055

Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation):  Non-Profit Corporation

If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
          Yvette Endom

The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number:  2327

What is the dollar amount of the request?  $262,600

What type of request is this?  General Appropriation

Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State?  Yes

Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
           Board Members
Granville Morse - 251 Phosphor Avenue, Metairie, LA 70005
Roy Glapion - #2 Annandale Court, New Orleans, LA 70131
Emile Bagneris - 291 English Turn, New Orleans, LA 70131
Ken Auzenne - 6708 Schouest Street, Metairie, LA 70003
Shannon Schmidt - 479 Lowerline Street, New Orleans, LA 70118
Holly Popham - 203 Codifer Blvd, Metairie, LA 70005
Mark Sheridan - 12 Rosedown Court, New Orleans, LA 70131
Chris Laiche - 274 Glenwood, Metairie, LA 70005
Mark Woods, Jr. - 3380 City Drive, Slidell, LA 70458
Shay Randolph - 801 Austerlitz Street, New Orleans, LA 70115
Executive Director-Yvette Endom - 30 Maryland Drive New Orleans,LA 70124
Program Director - Frederica Perriott - 1606 Cambronne Street, New Orleans, LA 70118

Provide a summary of the project or program:
           PLEASE request funds for our Scholarship and Student Support Services Programs. These programs enable our students to attend college preparatory high schools and equip them with comprehensive resources essential for their academic success and college acceptance. Our commitment to each student extends beyond high school, ensuring ongoing support for our students as they transition into college.

Our students come from challenging backgrounds and all dream of attending college. PLEASE students and their families face significant obstacles in their personal lives. They come from environments marked by adversity, including incarcerated parents, financial hardships, illnesses, familial crises, deceased parents, and other daunting challenges. The majority of our students reside in single-parent homes and are first generation college students.
Our Scholarship Program enables 21 at-risk students to attend college preparatory high schools, providing them with a life changing education. Through our Scholarship Program, students lacking resources attend college preparatory high schools with higher college acceptance rates. Notably, 100% of our high school graduates from 2014 to 2023 were accepted into college. Our support does not end once they graduate from high school. We continue to support our students through college by providing scholarships tailored to their needs. Currently, we have 29 students in college and 20 college graduates.

Our Student Support Services Program offers extensive resources for each student, ensuring they not only excel academically but also flourish personally. We provide resources, including personalized academic tutoring, educational materials, meal plans, uniforms, transportation, leadership training, career shadowing, mentoring, and individualized support to navigate any challenges that our students and their families encounter.

Our leadership training prioritizes the development of leadership skills in our students from their initial training before high school begins and continues throughout their high school experience. Our program empowers students, preparing them not only to actively participate in extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports, band, and dance teams but also to aspire to excel in leadership roles. They are equipped with the necessary skills, confidence, and vision to become officers of clubs or captains of sports teams, band, or dance teams. By fostering a culture of leadership and responsibility, we instill in our students the capacity to lead effectively, collaborate with others, and make positive contributions to our community.

Integral to our leadership training is the principle captured by one of PLEASE's core values: "To whom much is given, much is required." We instill in our students the importance of giving back, as we volunteer together monthly. Volunteering together not only helps our students demonstrate their altruism but also enhance their resumes, increasing their chances of getting into college while reinforcing our institution's commitment to service.

Our Student Support Services provide comprehensive college readiness resources, ensuring our students are prepared for college acceptance and success. We enroll students in summer college-readiness and leadership programs and organize college bus tours across Louisiana. Students attend presentations on college life, financial aid, and cost navigation. We offer ACT preparation courses, aid with registration fees, assist with college and scholarship applications, and help students complete FAFSA. Upon high school graduation, each student receives a computer for college.

Your support of our Scholarship and Student Support Services Programs will help PLEASE continue to educate the future leaders of our city by ending the cycle of poverty in Louisiana through education, one student at a time.

What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
          Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $42,000
          Professional Services. . . $0
          Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $0
          Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $0
          Major Repairs . . . . . . . $0
          Operating Services. . . . $0
          Other Charges. . . . . . . $220,600

Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings?  No

If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
          Not Applicable

What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies?
          The public purpose of PLEASE’s Scholarship and Student Support Services Programs is to change the cycle of poverty in Louisian which is largely due to the lack of opportunity to obtain higher education. Our programs enable our students to attend college preparatory high schools and equip them with comprehensive resources essential for their academic success and gain college acceptance. Our commitment to each student extends beyond high school, ensuring ongoing support for our students as they transition into college. Our purpose is to uphold our track record of success by supporting our students in graduating from their college preparatory high schools and securing college acceptance, mirroring the achievement of every PLEASE high school graduate from 2014 to 2023.

We recognize that in today's society, a college degree is often the gateway to higher-paying employment opportunities, yet impoverished families are often deprived of the resources and access needed to attend college preparatory high schools that have the highest rates of college acceptance. Attending a quality college preparatory high school prepares students to not only gain college acceptance but also obtain a degree. A college degree changes the trajectory of each student's life and the generations that follow. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty within our students' families.

By providing access to quality college preparatory education, our Scholarship and Student Support Services programs not only facilitate college acceptance but also equip students with the tools and skills necessary to earn a degree. We firmly believe that a college education has the power to alter the life trajectory of each student and subsequent generations, serving as a pivotal mechanism for breaking the cycle of poverty.

Our efforts are particularly significant in the context of Louisiana's troubling high school dropout rates. According to a June 27th, 2022, National Center for Education Statistics, Louisiana has the 3rd worst public high school dropout rate in the nation. Through our proven track record of successfully educating at-risk students in New Orleans, we have consistently guided them to graduate from college preparatory high schools and secure college acceptance. Notably, 100% of our high school graduates from 2014 to 2023 have been accepted into college, demonstrating the tangible impact of our work in combating the alarming dropout rates prevalent in Louisiana. We continue to work with our students as they begin their college journeys, offering ongoing encouragement, career guidance and college scholarships, based on their individual needs. We currently have 29 students attending college and 20 college graduates. Our college students and graduates come back to become part of the Alumni Association and mentor the high school students through our leadership training program. Our alumni also volunteer alongside our students, demonstrating the importance of giving back to their community.

The PLEASE Foundation is deeply committed to the fact that education serves as the first step in breaking the cycle of poverty in New Orleans. Through our unwavering dedication and proven outcomes, we strive to empower students with the transformative power of education, paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future for our community.

Your support enables us to continue this vital mission, empowering disadvantaged youth and facilitating meaningful change within our society. Together, we can break down barriers, foster opportunity, and drive tangible progress towards ending the cycle of poverty in Louisiana.

What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose?
          Confident in our Scholarship and Student Support Programs, we are poised to sustain our remarkable achievement: every PLEASE high school graduate from 2014 to 2023 secured college acceptance. Presently,29 students are enrolled in college, with 20 already graduated,a testament to our commitment. Our primary goal remains: ensuring 100% of graduates gain college acceptance, pursued through outlined goals and objectives below.
Goal#1: Recruitment of students for our Scholarship and Students Support Services Programs. We intend to provide student support services and scholarships to college preparatory high schools for both current and future PLEASE students during the 2024 - 2025 school year. To accomplish this goal, we have established the following objectives:
Objective#1: Between February and April 2024, new families will complete applications for PLEASE. These applications can be accessed on our website or obtained from their respective schools. Objective#2: From May - June 2024, applicants will undergo our extensive application and interview process for admission. Objective#3: In July 2024 newly accepted and current PLEASE participants attend orientation meetings. Here, they will be acquainted with the policies and standards essential for participation and for maintaining their PLEASE scholarships. Objective#4: By August 2024 PLEASE will finalize contracts with families and schools to solidify participant scholarships. Objective#5: Throughout the academic year, student progress will be evaluated and monitored. Participants will be required to submit progress reports, report cards, and staff will conduct school visits
In addition to the Scholarship Program, our Student Support Services offer various resources to ensure academic and personal success, including tutoring, supplies, meals, transportation, leadership training, career shadowing, mentoring, and personalized support for challenges. To sustain this success, we’ve set the following goal.
Goal#2: PLEASE ensures students' readiness for college preparatory high school and college acceptance through our Student Support Services Program. This goal will be achieved by focusing on the following objectives:
Objective #1: Participants attend quarterly leadership and life skills training during the program calendar year. Objective #2: Provide mentoring and career shadowing for participants throughout the program calendar year. Objective #3: Students volunteer monthly in the community to give back while simultaneously enhancing their resumes for college acceptance. Objective #4: Supply participants with academic support via tutoring, educational supplies, meal plans, uniforms, transportation, and test preparation as needed. Objective #5: Students will receive college readiness support through college tours, ACT prep, fee assistance with college and scholarship applications, and completing the FAFSA. Upon graduating each student is given a computer for college.
PLEASE remains dedicated to supporting our alumni even after their high school graduation, offering ongoing encouragement, career guidance, and financial assistance. We cultivate a culture of leadership and responsibility by inspiring them to return and actively contribute to our vibrant PLEASE community and become part of our Alumni Association.
Goal#3 To expand PLEASE’s college and beyond components through college scholarships and becoming part of the PLEASE Alumni Association. To achieve this goal, we will focus on the following objectives:
Objective#1: Provide PLEASE alumni currently attending college, whose financial aid is insufficient to cover all expenses, with additional college scholarships. Objective #2: Reinforce the core value upheld by PLEASE, "To whom much is given, much is required," by continuing to invite our alumni to join the Alumni Association and return to assist with monthly volunteer events, leadership training, fundraising initiatives, and mentorship to our current high school students.

What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
           February 2024 to February 2025

If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
     (a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
                
    
     (b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
                

     (c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
                

     (d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
                 

If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person: 
               

(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
          Provide the name and address of such person:
              

          Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
               

          What is the nature of the relationship? 

(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
                

(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
               


Contact Information
name:  Yvette T Endom 
                                       address:  30 Maryland Drive New Orleans, LA 70124
                                       phone:  5042365226
                                       fax: 
                                       e-mail:  yvette.pleasefoundation@gmail.com
                                       relationship to entity:  Executive Director