EDISON, N.J., March 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mack-Cali Realty Corporation (NYSE: CLI) and The Macallan Group today announced a new internship and mentoring partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County. The bi-weekly youth internship program – called The Innovation Squad – is STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and gives kids a unique opportunity to gain exposure to this critically important subject matter while also teaching them valuable life skills. The program, focused on design, programming, robotics, and video production, will educate, stimulate, and perhaps guide these children in their future careers while helping them better understand teamwork, problem solving, and creative thinking. This new program directly helps fulfill the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs to "help young people reach their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens."

The Innovation Squad will run three eight-week sessions and teach engineering concepts through hands-on learning. The 8- to 12-year-olds from Hoboken and Jersey City will also learn about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), otherwise known as drones, and make a movie highlighting their experience that will be shown to the public at the end of the program.

"Through this partnership we are proud to give these kids hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, applications, and products that will, hopefully, inspire them as they mature into young adults," said Mitchell Rudin, Mack-Cali chief executive officer. "We are particularly excited to partner with the incomparable Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County and The Macallan Group to invest in the future success of our children."

"The generous support of our partners at Mack-Cali and The Macallan Group allows us to bring this truly transformative program to the children of Hudson County," said Gary Greenberg, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County executive director. "STEM education is absolutely essential and ensuring that kids are exposed to these concepts at a young age will help put them on the right path for many years to come."

"We understand how important it is to teach hands-on engineering and creative concepts to children who want to build on that curiosity with the hope of one day being able to jump into the fastest growing profession in the world," said JP McCaffrey, chief strategy officer at The Macallan Group. "We are proud to be a part of preparing the intellectual and creative leaders of tomorrow alongside The Boys & Girls Club and Mack-Cali."

The Innovation Squad is led by mentors who bring unique backgrounds of creative and technical expertise and experience. The program, funded by Mack-Cali, accommodates 12 children per session. Throughout the course, the children, along with their mentors, will learn to operate robots, build a Web page, design a logo, learn about branding, create a storyboard and script, and produce a movie.

The Boys & Girls Clubs' Innovation Squad Feature Film will be a showcase event at the end of the program and give the students the opportunity to present their work. This event, in May/June, will bring together students, staff, parents, and sponsors and will be open to the media.

About Mack-Cali Realty Corporation

Mack-Cali Realty Corporation is a fully integrated, self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) providing management, leasing, development, and other tenant-related services for its two-platform operations of waterfront and transit-based office and luxury multi-family assets. Mack-Cali strives to provide its tenants and residents with the most innovative communities that empower them to re-imagine the way they work and live.

Additional information on Mack-Cali Realty Corporation and the commercial real estate properties and multi-family residential communities available for lease can be found on the Company's website at www.mack-cali.com.

About The Macallan Group

The Macallan Group, founded in 2011 and based in Hoboken, New Jersey, is a design, engineering, video production and digital agency that leverages technology to create meaningful experiences. Regardless of the complexity, we go about every product or solution the same simple way: we think, define, and make. We aim not only to thrive in the new and the complicated, but to spark inspiration in them as well. We specialize in solving problems through intelligent designs and deliver engaging experiences that foster meaningful connections. For more information, please visit their website at http://themg.co.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County

For 123 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County has remained a resource and pathway to success for generations of Jersey City's and Hoboken's young people and has grown into the largest youth-serving agency in the county. Our Club members face problems characteristic of low-income, inner-city communities, including crime, gang activity, poverty, and crowded schools. In such dire circumstances, youth have few, if any, other opportunities for recreation or enrichment programs – making the Boys & Girls Clubs work vitally important. Many of the members join at five years old, grow up in the Clubhouses, and stay active and engaged through high school graduation, and beyond. For additional information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County, go to http://bgchc.org/.

Statements made in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "plan," "potential," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate, and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and are advised to consider the factors listed above together with the additional factors under the heading "Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as may be supplemented or amended by the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are incorporated herein by reference. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise.

 

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SOURCE Mack-Cali Realty Corporation