RED BANK, N.J. /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- 37 Educational Communities and 5 students benefit from the Quotes for Cash Program

Teachers' Insurance Plan of NJ has donated over $22,000 from September 2007 - May 2008, to the New Jersey educational community and 5 high school seniors through the company's Quotes for Cash Program. The funds are being used for programs throughout the state to enhance the educational experience of NJ students. The scholarships have been awarded to exceptional NJ high school students who will be attending college in the fall of 2008.

"As the price of gas continues to increase and New Jersey families are struggling to afford to send their children to college, Teachers Auto Insurance is offering funding to NJ schools and college bound students at the same time that we're offering affordable car insurance to NJ's educational community," said Jim Tignanelli, President, Teachers' Insurance. "With more than 600 public school districts, 40 colleges and universities and countless private schools in the state, Quotes for Cash represents a brand new resource for financial support that could be used to enhance the quality of education in New Jersey."
In response to the rising costs of a college education, Teachers' Insurance Plan of NJ established the Quotes for Cash Scholarship program. According to an October 23, 2007 article in The New York Times, the College Board reports said, tuition and other costs, not including room and board, rose on average to $6,185 at public four-year colleges in 2007, up 6.6 percent from the year before year, while tuition at private colleges hit $23,712, an increase of 6.3 percent. At public two-year institutions, average tuition and fees rose 4.2 percent to $2,361.
The scholarship award winners were all high school seniors who excelled in academics as well as overall achievements. Thirty applications were received by Teachers Auto Insurance and five exceptional students were selected.

The following students were the scholarship winners:
-- Steven Zipparo is a student from St. Augustine's College Prep High School within the Diocese of Camden. He will be attending M.I.T. in the fall studying Engineering or Business.

-- Stacy Chin is a student from Morris Catholic High School within the Diocese of Patterson. Stacy will be attending The College of Holy Cross with an intended major of Biology/Pre-Med.

-- Sohan Jain is a student from Toms River High School North within the Toms River Regional School District. Sohan will be attending Cornell University to study Engineering/Computer Science.

-- Keith Marschner is a student from Toms River High School East in the Toms River Regional School District. Keith will be attending Cornell University to study Mathematics.

-- Blake Trabuchi-Downey from St. Augustine College Prep High School in the Diocese of Camden. Blake will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall to study Biology, with the intentions of one day going to Dental School.
Teachers' Insurance Plan of NJ also recognized that grants were needed to support special programs in NJ schools. The following New Jersey schools were awarded grants from the Quotes for Cash program:

-- iCan Read Program, Walnut Street School, Toms River School District

-- Buddy Reading Program, Bayville School, Berkeley Township

-- Stress Reduction for Handicapped Students -- Less Stress for Better Learning, Ocean Academy, Cape May County Special Services

-- Mullica Township's Garden Technology Program, Mullica Township Schools, Mullica Township

"The generous grant from Quotes for Cash will allow us to develop the iCan Read program that is a multisensory listening, reading, and fluency developing initiative that uses iPods, computers, and recorded books on CD to improve the skills and national test scores of English language learners," said Principal Kevin Smith, Walnut Elementary School.

The 37 educational communities that already participate in the Quotes for Cash Program include:

Benway School (Wayne), Berkeley Township School District, Buena Regional Schools, Cape May Schools for Special Services, Collingswood Public Schools, Edison Township School District, Fort Dix Elementary School, Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Haddonfield Borough, Harker-Wylie Elementary School (Pemberton), Helen Morgan Elementary School (Sparta), Jackson Township School District, Kingsway School District, Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission, Mine Hill School District, Monmouth Academy, Mullica Township School District, North Brunswick Township Public Schools, Old Bridge School District, Paulsboro Public Schools, Pemberton Township High School, Perth Amboy Childhood Center(St. Mary's), Petway Elementary (Vineland), Pine Hill Middle School, Riverside Township School District, Robert Morris School (South Bound Brook), Roosevelt Public School District, Search Day School (Ocean), Sparta Alpine School, Summerfield Elementary (Neptune), The Diocese of Camden, The Diocese of Paterson, The Hudson School, Toms River School District, Triton Regional High School, Woodbridge Township School District, and Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Academy (Lakewood)

Teachers Auto Insurance Company of New Jersey provides auto insurance exclusively to employees (active and retired) of New Jersey licensed educational facilities. Studies show that educators as a group are lower risk and have fewer claims, so Teachers' Insurance Plan of New Jersey can offer lower rates to the education community than insurance companies who insure everybody. For more information on Quotes for Cash go to www.NJ-TEACHERS.com.

SOURCE Teachers? Insurance Plan of NJ

Source: marketwatch.com