East Lake Foundation Gets $2.5M Grant For Drew Charter School

EAST ATLANTA, GA -- The East Lake Foundation is about to get a much-needed boost to continue its work in community redevelopment through education.

The foundation is the recipient of a five-year $2.5 million grant from the James M. Cox Foundation, East Lake announced Monday.

The funds will go to furthering early childhood education for Charles R. Drew Charter School, which opened in 2000 as the city’s first public charter school. The school's cradle-to-college philosophy is infused into the neighborhood's revitalization led by the East Lake Foundation.

“My grandfather started out as a teacher, and my daughter, sister and cousin have been teachers. We are proud to support Drew Charter School because it plays an important, hands-on role in educating both young children and teachers,” Cox Enterprises Chairman Jim Kennedy said in a statement. “Through the Cox Campus, our investment impacts children and teachers far beyond Drew.”

“The Cox Foundation was an early believer in the power of early childhood education as a way of eliminating the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged children,” Daniel J. Shoy Jr., president of the East Lake Foundation, was quoted as saying. “We are honored to receive the continued support and investment from the Cox Foundation that will ensure that the Cox Pre-K program provides a high-quality early education for our youngest scholars and a replicable model for programs across Georgia and the nation.”

Drew Charter School, located at 301 E Lake Boulevard in East Atlanta, serves nearly 1,800 students in pre-K through 12th grade.

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