The Northeast STEM Starter Academy, a program of the Mount Vernon Technology & Science Youth Center for Advancement, will hold a cocktail fundraising event benefiting the Mount Vernon City School District and a planned science and technology educational building July 15Â at the Alvin & Friends restaurant in New Rochelle.
Scientists, educators and engineers will be in attendance. Registration is open until July 10 and costs $75 per person.
The multilevel, multipurpose educational building will have a technology wing, science wing and a Mount Vernon history wing. Mount Vernon’s 9,000 public school students will have access to the center through internships, lectures and mentoring programs at the building’s laboratories, theaters and classrooms.
According to the organization’s Mount Vernon Economic Entrepreneurial Urban Revitalization Program proposal, the facility will cost $40 million. All construction costs will be covered through a capital fundraising campaign, with 91 percent of funds going directly toward the center. The center’s fundraising goal is $50 million. An estimated construction completion date was not provided.
“We are thrilled that the NSSA building is finally coming to fruition,” said Karen Spencer of Spencer Creative Group, a sponsor of the fundraiser. “Mount Vernon’s school district, in particular their science and technology programs, are going to grow by leaps and bounds due to this initiative.”
The academy was founded as a response to the district’s lack of resources and budget constraints and to provide further educational opportunities to at-risk youths. Mount Vernon Technology & Science Youth Center for Advancement partners with the city’s public schools to create and develop science and technology resources for students.
