Group gets dropout prevention grant
By From staff reports
Published in News on December 13, 2010 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL K. DAKOTA
For approximately two dozen residents at O'Berry Center, Operation Santa Claus comes through with Christmas presents for clients who might now otherwise receive gifts. This year Operation Santa Claus will provide 299 gifts, twenty were given to O'Berry residents. Amy Roux, of the Wayne County Mental Health Association, helps facilitate gift giving. Roux and Jeff Whitener, volunteer services coordinator, made sure gifts were distributed.
The North Carolina Committee on Dropout Prevention has awarded Rebuilding Broken Places Community Development Corp. with a dropout prevention grant for $173,330.
Rebuilding Broken Places, in partnership with Community Success Initiative and Dillard Middle School, will operate Project Y.E.S.S. -- Youth Educated for Success and Service -- a dropout prevention program, to serve approximately 60 students from Dillard Middle School.
"Our goals with this program are to help students achieve academic skill improvement, enhance their social/behavioral skills, decrease school suspensions, provide exciting cultural and recreational activities, and increase parental empowerment and school engagement," said John Barnes, CEO of Rebuilding Broken Places.
The program will provide certified academic tutors for reading and math, experienced and caring mentors for one to one mentoring, a safe and supportive environment, nutritional snacks, free courteous transportation, professional guest speakers, cultural/recreational field trips, and a powerful parent enrichment/empowerment component.
"We are looking forward to working with the students and parents of Dillard Middle School. We are especially thankful for the assistance of Mr. Sylvester Townsend, principal, and his staff at Dillard Middle School and the Wayne County Public Schools," Barnes said.
The program includes fun incentives and rewards for students, including a trip to a Charlotte Bobcats basketball game, skating, cosmic bowling, a Harlem Globetrotters game, a trip to Kings Dominion in June and much more.
Interested parents of students attending Dillard Middle School are invited to attend our free pizza party and informational meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Rebuilding Broken Places, 2105 N. William St. Free child care will be available for the meeting to those who require it and pre-register. For more information, call 581-9178, ext. 101.