VCCS’ Great Expectations Selects CRT/tanaka

RICHMOND, Va. (November 2, 2009) - CRT/tanaka, an award-winning public relations and marketing firm known for creative solutions and workplace culture, announced that it was selected to provide public relations counsel for the Virginia Community College System’s Great Expectations program. CRT/tanaka has been engaged to support Great Expectations with branding, donor awareness and the development of an Online Resource Center.

Great Expectations is a statewide initiative of The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) and Virginia’s Community Colleges to provide educational opportunities that will improve the likelihood of life success for foster youth. The program provides support and encouragement to foster youth by focusing on the value of a college education as the best way to gain employment and achieve independence. The program and its Online Resource Center help at-risk youth transition from the foster care system into living independently.

“Youth in foster care often lack the support of a stable family, and the Great Expectations program and Online Resource Center offer them the support and information they need to be successful,” said Dr. Jennifer Gentry, executive director of VFCCE. “CRT/tanaka has significant experience with Web and program development in the field of higher education, and we are thrilled to have them as a partner in our statewide awareness campaign.”

“Great Expectations is a program that will enhance opportunities not only for youth coming out of foster care, but also for Virginia,” said Natalie Smith, CRT/tanaka vice president. “We are excited and honored to support the program’s mission to create strong, self-reliant individuals and communities.”

About Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a statewide initiative of The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education and Virginia’s Community Colleges to provide education and employment opportunities that will improve the likelihood of life success for foster youth. Great Expectations is designed to even the odds for foster youth. Established in 2008, the program provides transitional support to at-risk foster teens as they finish high school and leave their foster homes. Great Expectations focuses on the value of a college education as the best way to gain employment and achieve independence.

About CRT/tanaka
CRT/tanaka is an award-winning public relations and marketing firm known for its whatcanbeSM workplace culture and approach to business. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., and New York, with offices in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Norfolk, Va., CRT/tanaka features four integrated specialties - Consumer, Health, Corporate and Interactive/Social. The agency has been recognized with nearly 300 national and regional awards for its strategic counsel, creativity, workplace culture and community service. Clients include Air New Zealand, BISSELL Homecare, Inc., Cambria Suites, Charles Schwab & Co., Council for Responsible Nutrition, Council of Better Business Bureaus, Girl Scouts of the USA, Network Solutions, Sprint Nextel, Quebec Maple Syrup and Wines from Rioja (Spain). More information about CRT/tanaka is available at www.crt-tanaka.com.