Microsoft donates $1.5 million to help early school leavers return to class

Microsoft is helping those who were forced to interrupt their education return to the classroom and fulfill their educational potential long after leaving school.

King5.com reports that Microsoft has committed $1.5 million to support a program, Reconnecting Youth by United Way which over the last two years has already helped place 3,000 mature students in various educational programs throughout Kings County. United Way hopes to reach half of the 15,000 school drop-outs in the county by 2020, allowing them to return to class and improve their prospects.

“I wanted a career,” said 19-year-old November Mcvea, who dropped out in 10th grade, and who returned to class with the help of the program and is now one quarter away from graduating.

Microsoft’s donation will help fund more teachers, more case workers and more one-on-one support, essential to keep the students engaged.

“I feel like they really want me to succeed just as much as I want to,” said Mcvea. “So it’s more motivation for me to come and to know that I have someone to talk to.”

Referring to Microsoft’s motivations for donating, Jared Erlandson, director of communications for United Way of King County said “They care about having a workforce that is able to deal with the realities of the world with technology. They know in order for business to succeed, their community needs to succeed.”

Besides corporate donations, Microsoft employee charitable donations exceeded $125 million in 2015.

Learn more about Reconnecting Youth here.