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 12^th 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.”