EUGENE, Ore.—The Rites of Passage program at Lane Community College has received a $184,980 three-year grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust to expand summer and after school programs for students of color in Lane County. The grant is one of the 22 Equitable Education Portfolio grants issued by the trust to support college and career readiness opportunities across the state.
Rites of Passage serves high school and middle school students of color in Lane County. It was established in 1996 by Greg Evans as the African American Rites of Passage, now coordinated by Dr. Lawrence Rasheed. The program has grown to include a Chicano/Latino program coordinated by Jim Garcia; Native American program coordinated by Lori Tapahonso; and Asian Pacific American program coordinated by Iwalani (Kumu) Raes. Rites of Passage receives strong support from administrative specialist and grant writer Tracy Weimer and counselor and instructor Mark Harris.
Over the last decade, more than 1,000 students of color have participated in the ROP programs. The MMT grant will allow Lane to expand the academies and add after-school opportunities.
Rites of Passage serves as a role model for similar programs across the nation.
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Lane Community College educates over 25,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $850 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 13,000 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.