PHILADELPHIA—The Women in Natural Sciences program of The Academy of Natural Sciences is about more than teaching science to high school girls. It's also about instilling a positive self-image in teens who face special challenges.
That's why clothing company EILEEN FISHER has awarded WINS a $25,000 grant through its Self Image Grant Program for Women and Girls, the Academy announced today.
Now in its 27th year, WINS is a summer and after-school science enrichment and mentoring program for public-school girls in grades 9 through 12, particularly from low-income families or single-parent households.
The program uses education to elevate self-esteem and to promote science as a career. WINS provides students with life-changing experiences that foster personal achievement, self-confidence and communication skills, and the statistics prove it. While about 55% of all freshman students in the School District of Philadelphia and 70% of Pennsylvania students graduate from high school, 100% of the advanced WINS students graduate and 97% continue on to college.
Since 1812, the Academy has been an international center for the study of the natural world. It is oldest natural science research museum in the Americas. WINS students train and work alongside Academy scientists in their labs or with educators in museum exhibits. Since its inception, more than 600 students have participated in WINS. For more information on WINS, see http://www.ansp.org/education/special_programs/wins.php
EILEEN FISHER designs simple clothes that work together, across the seasons and across the years. With pure shapes and fine fabrics, they create sophistication, comfort—and style that lasts. As a socially conscious company. EILEEN FISHER is dedicated to supporting women through social initiatives that address their well being, to guiding the product and process towards sustaining the environment and to practicing business responsibility with absolute regard for human rights. For more information, please visit www.eileenfisher.com
The Academy is located at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends until 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 3, seniors, college students and military personnel, and free for Members and children under 3. There is an additional $2 entry fee for "Butterflies!"
Founded in 1812, The Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas and is a world leader in biodiversity and environmental research. The mission of the Academy is the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences.