Real-Life Hero of Disney's Invincible Movie Helps Students Achieve Their Dreams of a Higher Education
30 August 2006 - 1:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
The Sallie Mae Fund's 'Hold Fast to Dreams' Tour Features Vince
Papale, $50,000 in College Scholarships and College Prep Workshops
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sallie Mae Fund's Vince
Papale - - a Philadelphia native who inspired a new Walt Disney
Pictures' movie about beating the odds -- will take his message to
thousands of high school students this fall. The Sallie Mae Fund, a
charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, created the "Hold
Fast to Dreams" tour to encourage students to reach their dreams
through a college education. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030617/SLMLOGO-a ) Walt
Disney Pictures' movie -- "Invincible" -- is inspired by the true
story of Vince Papale, a former high school teacher and part-time
bartender who tried out for and made the Philadelphia Eagles team
in 1976 at the age of 30. A graduate of St. Joseph's University,
Papale was part of the Eagles comeback, which eventually took them
all the way to the Super Bowl under Coach Dick Vermeil. The Sallie
Mae Fund chose Coach Vermeil's popular locker room quote -- "Hold
Fast to Dreams" -- to capture the spirit of the tour. The line is
from a Langston Hughes poem. "We have designed this tour to connect
Vince's two dreams -- to be a football player and to be the first
in his family to attend college," said Kathleen deLaski, president,
The Sallie Mae Fund. "Young people need role models beyond
celebrities. Vince has been a sports celebrity, and he's also been
a teacher, businessman, husband, father and cancer survivor. He now
works for The Sallie Mae Fund, helping students and parents
understand the value of a college education." After a three-year
career with the Eagles, Vince's college degree helped him pursue a
business career with Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of
education funding. Through the years, he has spent many volunteer
hours and won awards for his student and parent seminars on how to
pay for college. As part of the tour, Vince will present
inspirational workshops to help thousands of students in
traditionally underserved areas prepare for college. The tour will
be launched from Papale's alma mater, Interboro High School in
Philadelphia, on September 15, and will also visit high schools in
Newark, Orlando, St. Louis and Los Angeles. At each of the five
high schools Papale will visit, The Sallie Mae Fund will award a
$10,000 "Hold Fast to Dreams" scholarship to a deserving student.
"I am part of The Sallie Mae Fund's tour to help kids across the
country achieve their dreams," said Papale. "It's great to want to
be a sports star or a Hollywood celebrity, but it's important to
dream for college, too. College has allowed me to provide for my
family and live a good life." As part of the campaign to underscore
the importance of college attendance, a public service announcement
featuring Vince Papale and Mark Wahlberg (who plays Vince
on-screen), is being shown in theaters across the country. Go to
http://www.salliemaefund.org/ to see the public service
announcement and to download Vince's "5 Plays to Win Your Way to
College." The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored
by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission-to increase access to a
postsecondary education for America's students-by supporting
programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education,
prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no
one else can. For more information visit
http://www.salliemaefund.org/.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030617/SLMLOGO-a
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Sallie Mae Fund CONTACT:
Rick Castellano of Sallie Mae Fund, +1-703-984-5535, ; or Matt
Lindstrom, +1-612-298-1098 , for Sallie Mae Fund Web site:
http://www.salliemae.com/ Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/827187.html
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