St. John's Jumpstart Corps Members Met on Capitol Hill to Discuss the Jumpstart Program

October 25, 2006

Ernest Coaxum, a Junior Government and Politics Major, represented Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc. and St. John's University to major democratic representative and New York State Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington, D.C..  Senator Clinton, Mr. Coaxum, and a few selected Jumpstart Corps Members from around the nation had lunch on Capitol Hill and discussed the impact of Jumpstart on them individually, on individual children, and on the national level.

St. John’s University and The School of Education house this worthwhile program which is set to partner eight schools in the Queens area with over seventy college students this coming fall. Mr. Coaxum is returning for his third year as a Jumpstart Corps Member while taking on the Volunteer Coordinator role in order to network different venues to come together and perform national service.

Jumpstart strives to increase the literacy and social skill development of children ages three-five in hopes that one day all children will enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. Through one-to-one relationships between young children and adults, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to become involved in their child's education, and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart currently engages 1,600 college students in service to 6,000 children and operates in 18 states, 44 communities, and 160 preschools. Jumpstart's national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, Pearson, and Starbucks. Jumpstart is a recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor 2004 Social Capitalist Award and has been featured by the Boston Globe, New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, Worth, and MTV. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site.

Contact Information
Charisse Willis
Director, Jumpstart
willisc@stjohns.edu

Margaret Nicolosi
Site Manager
nicolosm@stjohns.edu