Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Communities In Schools yesterday kicked off the second-annual GIVE Education “School the Nation” campaign designed to increase awareness of America’s dropout crisis, and enable thousands of mentors across the country to support and encourage at-risk youth to graduate to a brighter future. GIVE Education is part of the P&G GIVE program, a social sustainability platform designed to inspire and empower people to use their everyday purchases to touch lives and improve life.

More than 1.2 million students drop out each year – one every 26 seconds. One-third of high school students, including half of all minority students, fail to graduate in time. If the graduation rates and college matriculation of male students (alone) increased by just five percent, it could lead to combined savings and revenue of almost $8 billion each year by reducing crime-related costs. 

Consumers can easily help “School the Nation” when they Buy, Give and Get. By simply purchasing $25 worth of select P&G products, consumers will get a $5 rebate by mail, and P&G will give $5 to Communities In Schools on their behalf. In addition, for each August 26 P&G brandSAVER coupon redeemed, P&G will donate two cents to Communities In Schools, uncapped – allowing people to give back, while saving money. Last year, GIVE Education raised more than $500,000 for Communities In Schools to help deliver much-needed resources to students and their families, including mentoring, tutoring, individual or family counseling, health services, food bank access, college visits and more.

“We are grateful to P&G GIVE Education for its efforts in enabling Communities In Schools to have a positive impact on even more of our nation’s youth,” said Dan Cardinali, president, Communities In Schools.  “For more than 30 years, Communities In Schools has been effectively helping students stay in school and succeed in life. We are the only dropout prevention organization proven to both reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates, with 97 percent of students monitored as potential dropouts remaining in school.”

Communities In Schools empowers students to stay in school and achieve in life by providing them with crucial community resources that are tailored to local needs through school-based mentors known as site coordinators. The thousands of mentors within Communities In Schools’ network work with 2,700 schools and approximately 13,000 community partners – including Matthew McConaughey’s j.k. livin foundation – to serve nearly 1.26 million young people and their families every year.

“I created the j.k. livin foundation so we can help children make positive and healthy changes in themselves and the world around them – and at the most basic level for many, that starts with graduating high school,” said McConaughey. “I am a firm believer in the power and necessity of mentorship, and by teaming with GIVE Education, we’re ensuring that people learn about the inspiring and effective work mentors are doing across the country to combat the dropout crisis.”

To learn more about the rebate, including participating brands and how to redeem, visit www.getgivesave.com. For additional campaign information, visit GIVE Education on Facebook. Consumers can share content to encourage friends and family to learn more about the dropout crisis, and inspire others to get involved.