RESTON, Va., Sept. 7, 2007—Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company, and The Sallie Mae Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, are pleased to announce their sponsorship of the 22nd annual Black Family Reunion celebration in Washington, D.C. The free family festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 8 and 9, on the National Mall.
The Black Family Reunion Celebration unifies the community for constructive action in the face of national concerns impacting the African-American family in education, economic development, health and employment. This year’s theme, "Celebrating Families: Strength to Build," honors African-American heritage and the commitment to rebuilding African-American communities.
Sallie Mae is sponsoring the "Education Pavilion" and will present resources and information about financing college and maintaining healthy credit. The Sallie Mae Fund will present a free "Paying for College" workshop in addition to distributing tips for planning for college. Featured resources will include The Sallie Mae Fund’s interactive CD-ROM geared for African-American students, "The Key: An Interactive Guide to Planning and Paying for College," which offers guidance for essay writing, completing college applications, and applying for financial aid.
Created in 1986 by human rights activist Dr. Dorothy I. Height, chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, the Black Family Reunion Celebration is recognized as one of the nation’s largest family events attracting more than 500,000 people annually. Festival activities, which are free to the public, will include theme pavilions for issues concerning children, teens and young adults, education, sports and fitness, men, and health for women and family.
Festival activities will take place from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information about the 22nd annual Black Family Reunion, go to www.ncnw.org/events/reunion.htm.
For more information, contact:
Beth Guerard (703) 984-5621
SLM Corporation (NYSE:
SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation’s leading saving, planning and paying for education company. Sallie Mae’s saving programs, planning resources and financing options have helped more than 31 million people make the investment in higher education. Through its subsidiaries, the company manages $176 billion in education loans and serves 10 million student and parent customers. In addition, the company’s Upromise program has enabled 11 million members to earn more than $525 million in rewards to help pay for college. Its Upromise affiliates also manage more than $23 billion in 529 college-savings plans. Sallie Mae offers services to a range of institutional clients, including colleges and universities, student loan guarantors and state and federal agencies. More information is available at
www.SallieMae.com. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.