WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 12, 2006  -- Two longtime partners in the effort to inspire young people to educational achievement joined forces today as Congressman Chaka Fattah welcomed Philadelphia football hero and movie inspiration Vince Papale to Capitol Hill.

Congressman Fattah hosted a reception at the U.S. Capitol for Papale, the Philadelphia native whose true-life story as a 30-year-old walk-on rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles has been turned into the Walt Disney Pictures’ box office smash “Invincible.” The reception served to announce Papale’s five-city “Hold Fast to Dreams” tour on behalf of the Sallie Mae Fund.

“For years, Vince Papale has been inspiring and motivating young people in Philadelphia at the Fattah Conference on Higher Education and in CORE Philly,” Congressman Fattah said. “Now thanks to the movie ‘Invincible,’ Vince and his Philly success story are reaching millions coast to coast. We loved Vince and his all-out style on the field. We’re proud now that he goes all-out for our youth.”

Vince Papale has appeared with Fattah at youth conferences and rallies in Philadelphia over the past decade. The Fattah Conference on Higher Education, which the Congressman founded as a young state legislator, inspires minority and low-income college students from Pennsylvania and nearby states to continue their education in graduate school. The CORE Philly program, created by Fattah to guarantee “last dollar” scholarships for every graduating high school senior in Philadelphia, has helped almost 8,000 graduates pursue their dream of a college education. 

Vince Papale serves as spokesman for the Sallie Mae Fund, a major underwriter of both the Fattah Conference and CORE Philly.

Papale’s “Hold Fast to Dreams” tour begins Friday, Sept. 15, 2006 at Interboro High School, his alma mater in the Philadelphia suburb of Prospect Park, PA.  It continues to Newark N.J., Orlando, St. Louis and Los Angeles. At each stop Papale will present scholarships and deliver motivational presentations on holding fast to the dream of higher education.