City of Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach hosted the Graduation and Closing Ceremony for the third annual Summer 500 program on Friday at the Savannah Civic Center.  

More than 250 rising high school juniors and seniors have been employed by local businesses.  In addition having a paid summer job and learning a new skill, the participants have also received soft skills training and learned the importance of timeliness and customer service.   The students were employed by more than 100 area businesses, including the City of Savannah, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System,  Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, Gulfstream Aerospace, 24e, Vaden Automotive, Coca-Cola and many others.

The goal of the Summer 500 program is to help students gain valuable hands-on experience and create important networking connections.  The program was the vision of Mayor DeLoach when he first took office in 2016.

“Today’s graduation was a great event.  I saw so many proud parents, teachers and employers in the crowd and that’s fantastic.  It’s a great feeling knowing we equipped another great group of students with knowledge and skills they can use to help achieve their dreams,” DeLoach said.

Mayor Pro-Tem Carol Bell and SCCPSS Superintendent Dr. Ann Levett have also been champions of the Summer 500 program.