Grant of $65,000 from The Chrysler Foundation supports scholarship and mentor programs

WARREN, MI--Dec. 2, 2013: Last Tuesday (Nov. 26) at a breakfast hosted by Winning Futures, Mark Chernoby, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Vice President - Product Committee Coordinator — Chrysler Group LLC presented Winning Futures with a $65,000 grant from The Chrysler Foundation to support its continuing education scholarships and mentoring programs.

"Helping students develop the skills and self-confidence that they need to succeed is an investment that will pay dividends for a lifetime," said Chernoby who was one of the featured speakers invited to share their experiences at the breakfast. Three years ago, Chrysler became involved in Winning Futures' school-based mentoring program and today has 20 employees who are mentoring at the Pontiac Academy for Excellence.

Meanwhile, Jason Stoicevich, Head of FIAT Brand for North America — Chrysler Group LLC added that he and several more FIAT Brand employees have expressed interest in becoming mentors in Warren. "Preparing young people to assume future leadership roles is perhaps our most import job, and the FIAT Brand is looking forward to fulfilling this role," said Stoicevich.

The breakfast with local business leaders focused on building financial resources for Winning Futures so they can provide mentoring, strategic planning, and scholarship programs for high school students throughout metro Detroit. Students who have participated in the program say that Winning Futures' mentoring and curriculum have helped them make positive changes in their school and home lives. Asia Nelson, a student in the Winning Futures program in Pontiac, shared how much the program's study skills and goal setting lessons had helped her to improve her grades to all As and Bs. Comments from other students reflect Nelson's experience with the program.

"Winning Futures' goal is to empower today's youth for a successful future by developing skills which can be used throughout their lives," said Kristina Marshall, Winning Futures' President and CEO. "Through the program, students receive a positive adult role model, learn skills to improve their confidence and abilities, and set goals to advance their development. To have Chrysler make such a large investment in our youth speaks volumes not only to our students and mentors, but to the community as a whole. Companies do care and they are getting involved!"

Winning Futures impacts students from the following schools: Cass Technical High School and Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit; Harper Woods High School; Madison High School in Madison Heights; Cousino, Community and Warren Mott high schools in Warren; and Pontiac Academy for Excellence.

Youth in Winning Futures' mentoring programs become self-reliant and personally successful through trusting relationships, energizing experiences, and unforgettable life lessons. More students likes Asia will find their path to success because of the program.

About Winning Futures Winning Futures is an award-winning non-profit organization that empowers youth to succeed through mentoring and strategic planning. We partner with high schools in metro Detroit to facilitate weekly innovative mentoring sessions in the school where we engage youth through trusting relationships with mentors, energizing experiences, and unforgettable life lessons. This weekly program is unique in that it has a fun, structured curriculum where mentors teach students though hands-on activities, written exercises, and group discussions. We focus on character value development, self-exploration, goal setting, job readiness skills, overcoming obstacles, and strategic planning. Over 95% of students continue their education past high school and we have awarded over $1.7M in scholarships to local youth. Since 1994, 30,000 students have been impacted by Winning Futures.