Walgreens and Midtown Educational Foundation

Supporting Education

For more than 25 years, Walgreens has helped inner-city school children in Chicago excel and discover their potential through its partnership with Midtown Educational Foundation.

Dozens of Walgreens employees donate their time to students in grades 4-12 to help mentor, tutor and build positive character.

Diego Roman was one of these children and faced many obstacles, from grades to gangs. He attended seven different schools before high school, and when it was apparent he was falling behind, his mother turned to Midtown for help.

"Everyone in my family dropped out of high school either to join a gang or because they had a child," said Roman. "Midtown kept me on the right path and now, after years of mentoring and support, I am proud to be the first in my family to attend college."

Roman is now attending Marquette University where he is studying to become a civil engineer.

In It to Win It

According to Midtown Educational Foundation, nearly 98 percent of its alumni graduated from high school in 2010, as compared to about 44 percent of their peer group within the Chicago Public School system. A whopping 89 percent of Midtown's alumni also continued their schooling at a college, university or trade school, which is more than four times the percentage for their peer group nationally.

Read more about MEF.