This past Saturday, Taco Bell Foundation for Teens’ Graduate to Go Scholars program and NBA Cares awarded Karen Batani, 17 from Westminster, California a scholarship valued at $30,000 after her NBA player, Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors, claimed victory in the TACO BELL® Skills Challenge during NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm. Batani was one of five teens from Boys & Girls Clubs in the Southern California area paired with Skills Challenge participants who competed for their scholarships.
Batani was selected as a Graduate to Go Scholar for her outstanding leadership qualities and inspiration to her peers both in and out of school. Batani has undergone many challenges at home throughout her childhood, but despite these, she has been involved in her school’s student government and has been a member of the varsity basketball team since entering high school. Outside of school, she tutors younger children at the Boys & Girls Club of Westminster and participates in many of their community service events. She also won second place in the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens Graduate to Go Business Camp for her ideas on how to help end the genocide in Darfur.
All five finalists received “A Day with the NBA” experience of a lifetime during NBA All-Star 2011, including a behind-the-scenes tour of NBA All-Star operations at the STAPLES Center; opportunity to meet with NBA players, media and staff; and participation in NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas and All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm.
About the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens
The Taco Bell Foundation, Inc., also known as the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens (TBFT), a non-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, is committed to addressing the growing number of high school dropouts in the U.S. by providing at-risk youth with mentors and real-world experiences that will motivate them to stay in school and achieve more in life, and to collaborating with like-minded individuals and organizations to garner greater impact. Since 1995, TBFT has donated more than $28 million to support teen programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other teen-serving organizations with the help of on-going customer, franchisee and employee donations. For more information about TBFT, visit www.graduatetogo.com or www.facebook.com/graduatetogo.
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