Grants boost after-school programs
From The Herald
October 5, 2011
By Scott Whipple
NEW BRITAIN — After the school bell rings and students are dismissed, programs funded by the American Savings Foundation will help give New Britain children a place to have fun while making learning a priority.
The foundation’s board of directors has approved $820,000 in grants to local organizations, including $470,400 in grants for after-school programs.
The foundation funds after-school programs with the objective of supporting student learning, providing help for working families and keeping kids safe.
Most of these programs start this week.
“The foundation is very proud of its efforts in connection with after-school programs, particularly at the beginning of each new school year,” Harry Mazadoorian, chairman of the American Savings Foundation’s board of directors, said in a prepared statement.
Mazadoorian said studies show that on school days, 3 to 6 p.m. is the peak time for teens to commit crimes or to become victims of crime. For working families this is when unsupervised children experiment with drugs and alcohol. Children who participate regularly in after-school programs show better school attendance and behavior, which lead to better grades and higher graduation rates, he said.
Grants approved at the foundation’s September board meeting include $42,900 for the Smart Girls Program at the New Britain Boys and Girls Club; $7,500 for the Queen Ann Nzinga Center arts program; $104,000 for after-school programs run by New Britain Parks and Recreation Department; $53,000 for Klingberg Family Center’s after-school program; $55,000 for the Hardware City Bike Program on Arch Street; $106,000 for Opportunities Industrialization Center’s Moving Mountains-Sullivan Academy; and $102,000 for YWCA’s STRIVE program for girls.
“After school programs provide fun and challenging activities that keep kids coming back,” foundation President and CEO David Davison said.
