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Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

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Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

Beaufort County Innovative Afterschool Program Lands $2.3M Grant from Coastal Community Foundation, Post and Courier (South Carolina)

Thanks to a $2.3 million Catalyst Grant, the largest ever awarded by the Coastal Community Foundation, the UNITED (Uniting Neighbors for Instructional Effectiveness and Trust in Education) program will continue to provide afterschool programs to pre-k through 12th grade students in the Beaufort County school district in South Carolina. The program, begun in 2022 with support from federal COVID emergency funds, collaborates with faith-based and nonprofit organizations, as well as retired teachers, to provide afterschool and summer learning programs to at-risk students. “What we found was that, by launching that program, the community got so involved with it,” Frank Rodriguez, superintendent of Beaufort County Public Schools, told the Post and Courier. “It galvanized an effort around helping students beyond the initial goal of academic recovery.”

Denzel Washington Presents Jacksonville Teen National Boys & Girls Clubs Honor, The Florida Times-Union (Florida)

When Nico Flowers joined the afterschool program at the Ed White High School Boys & Girls Teen Center in Jacksonville, Florida, he was struggling with the impacts of domestic violence, housing insecurity and alcoholism in his family. During his four years at the Club, he connected with a local barber who served as a mentor to him, and eventually stepped into student leadership, organizing community projects, tutoring younger students and more. Flowers, now a political science student at Florida State University, was presented the 2024 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year award by actor Denzel Washington, who is also a Club alumnus. Accepting the award, Flowers described his afterschool program as “family” and told other youth, “Trust God and believe in yourself and the people who believe in you. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to and your past does not define who you are — the future is yours.”

Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton Helps Youth in Community, Fullerton Observer (California)

For the past 70 years, the Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton in California has provided engaging activities for students afterschool, including sports, academic support, arts and crafts, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, music and math) activities. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do in Fullerton without the general public supporting us and the kids we serve. We don’t turn any kid away at the club. It is a blessing to see that this organization has been here for over 70 years serving the youth,” Brett Ackerman, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton, told the Fullerton Observer. The club relies on two fundraisers a year, an annual fall auction and summer golf tournament, to support its many programs.

Hochul Allocates $3M for After-School Programs in New York City After Funding Crisis, Brooklyn Paper (New York)

Earlier this year, New York State’s Office of Children and Family Services altered the eligibility criteria for afterschool funding, causing many programs to lose funds and forcing some to close their doors entirely. After parents, students, educators and lawmakers advocated for relief, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $3 million investment from a state discretionary fund to help afterschool programs keep their doors open. “This is great news,” John Ricottone, vice president of Community Education Council 20, told the Brooklyn Paper. “I’m glad we fought the good fight. I’m proud of working with each and everyone. Our children need to be safe at all times, and after-school care assisting the children with homework, recreation and having children socialize is the best way.”

Weekly Media Roundup: October 9, 2024

What Do Teens Do After School? Utica Hoping They'll Head to Parkway Recreation Center, Utica Observer Dispatch (New York) This fall, Parkway Recreation Center in Utica, New York will open a free afterschool program for teenagers, providing them a safe space to engage in leadership...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/09/24

Weekly Media Roundup: October 2, 2024

Minneapolis, St. Paul Educators Rally as Pandemic-Era Funding for Arts, After-School Programs Dries Up, WCCO-TV (Minnesota) As federal COVID relief funding winds down, parents, educators and lawmakers rallied at Adams Immersion Elementary School in St. Paul to call on lawmakers to prevent...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/02/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

Beaufort County Innovative Afterschool Program Lands $2.3M Grant from Coastal Community Foundation, Post and Courier (South Carolina) Thanks to a $2.3 million Catalyst Grant, the largest ever awarded by the Coastal Community Foundation, the UNITED (Uniting Neighbors for Instructional...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/25/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 18, 2024

In Visit to Detroit, Usher Praises Boys & Girls Club After-School Programs, Detroit Free Press (Michigan) Last week, R&B artist Usher held “Usher’s Club Takeover” at the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan in Detroit. At the two-day event, more than 1,500...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 11, 2024

Philadelphia Program Allows Students to Tap into Healing Power of Music, WHYY (Pennsylvania) Students in afterschool programs across Philadelphia are expressing themselves and processing difficult emotions through songwriting thanks to Beyond The Bars, a local nonprofit. Matt Kerr founded the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/11/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 4, 2024

Edwardsburg Launches Before and After School Care Program on First Day of Classes, WNDU (Michigan) Camp Fire River Bend is opening a new before-school and afterschool program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Edwardsburg, Michigan, and it already has a waitlist....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/04/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 28, 2024

Anonymous Donor Saves Troy After-School Program, News 10 (New York) For 45 years, the Ark has provided a safe, enriching afterschool program for students in Troy, New York. But when the program lost a grant that covered 90 percent of its budget, Executive Director Penny Holmes worried it would...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 21, 2024

Madison Out-of-School Time (MOST) to Recognize Outstanding Youth Workers for Their Dedication and Creativity Supporting Youth, Madison 365 (Wisconsin) Next week, Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway will honor 11 afterschool staff members as Madison-area Out-of-School Time (MOST)...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 14, 2024

Virginia Designates Additional Aid for At-Risk Students, Virginia Mercury (Virginia) Beginning this fall, Virginia schools will have an additional $180 million per year to support at-risk students. A 2023 study found that Virginia provided less state funding for at-risk students than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 7, 2024

Chicago Touts After-School Program Growth But Cuts Funding, Chalkbeat Weeks before the school year begins, many Chicago afterschool programs are facing dramatic funding cuts as federal COVID funds wind down and Chicago Public Schools is allocating fewer resources to out-of-school time programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/07/24