New York, NY -- (SBWire) -- 08/08/2012 --His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York, thanked Mitchell Vazquez personally for his support at the Inner-City Scholarship Fund’s Friends Gala held at Cipriani in New York City on May 15, 2012.

Mitchell Vazquez is a committed believer in access to education for our youth. He is a product of the public school system in the Seattle suburb of Mercer Island, WA and this experience combined with his efforts and abilities earned him a full scholarship to Stanford University. However, for many children with great promise but limited means, the public school setting struggles to provide a quality education in a safe and secure environment.

In New York City, the Inner-City Scholarship Fund (ICSF) provides these exact children with an alternative – scholarships and access to the schools associated with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Nearly 70% of the ICSF students enrolled in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island come from homes living at or below the federal poverty line. The average scholarship recipient's family income is approximately $24,000 per year and over half of the students come from single-parent households. Despite these impediments, fully 95% of ICSF graduates pursue college or university studies.

On May 15th, Mitch Vazquez, GCI President demonstrated his support for the ICSF at the Friends Gala where he sat with with Timothy J. McNiff, the Superintendent of Schools for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The two discussed the challenges of running the Catholic Archdiocese school system and both were warmly recognized by His Eminence for their contributions to the ICSF.

For more information on this other causes Mitchell Vazquez supports, visit htttp://www.mitchellvazquez.com/philanthropy