GRAND & BENEDICTS PUTS COLLEGE WITHIN REACH OF DE LA SALLE STUDENTS

Portland, Ore. – If earning admittance in to college were based on motivation alone, four students of De La Salle North Catholic High School in North Portland would have no problem gaining entry. But without adequate educational resources, college is out of reach. Working with the Cristo Rey Network's Corporate Internship Program at De La Salle, Grand & Benedicts, a global store fixture manufacturer, is helping four De La Salle students reach their goals of earning a college degree.

The internship puts students to work in a range of job tasks at Grand & Benedicts, including purchasing, marketing and accounting, while Grand & Benedicts finances the cost of their college preparatory education. The Cristo Rey Network boasts an incredible success rate – 99 percent of their graduates are accepted into college. Combining real world experience of working at Grand & Benedicts while funding their college preparatory program at La Salle gives students a valuable perspective about how their education translates to the work environment. "It's important to provide meaningful jobs that allow students to grow," said John Phillips, CEO of Grand & Benedicts. Juan Alvarado, who is an intern in the Grand & Benedicts marketing department said, "As a student, I believe that the Corporate Internship Program is a very unique program because it allows students to interact in a job environment and gain valuable work experience for the future."

About De La Salle North Catholic High School
De La Salle North Catholic High School is one of 24 high schools in the Cristo Rey Network, a college preparatory program designed to help urban students to get educated to attend college. De La Salle is a college preparatory school that serves a racially diverse community of capable, interested, and motivated students who wish to have a college education but otherwise would not have the opportunity. To learn more about the Cristo Rey Network schools visit www.cristoreynetwork.org.

About Grand & Benedicts
Founded in 1948, Grand & Benedicts offers a wide spectrum of services to retail stores and corporations, ranging from custom fixture design and global manufacturing to in-store installation and store closing services. They have 105 employees working out the Portland, Oregon headquarters, manufacturing plants in China, sales offices around the country or showrooms in Seattle, WA and Hayward, CA. For more information, visit www.grand-benedicts.com.