The New York Life Foundation announced grants totaling more than $300,000 to six Westchester nonprofit organizations that target young people, particularly in the area of educational enhancement. The Foundation has given grants totaling more than $2 million to Westchester-based nonprofits since 2004, when New York Life’s Westchester campus opened.
“The New York Life Foundation is pleased to support these six outstanding nonprofits that provide vital programs and services to disadvantaged youth in Westchester,” said Maria Collins, corporate vice president, New York Life Foundation. “These organizations are improving the lives of hundreds of children and their families by providing resources and services to help them have a brighter future.”
The grant recipients are:
- Girls, Inc. — $60,000 to support the Speaking for Ourselves pilot program for middle and high school girls in New Rochelle, which will help them navigate issues including sexuality, self-image, relational violence, careers, and financial planning;
- Westhab — $85,000 to support STRONG (Students Taking Responsibility & Ownership Now & Graduating), a comprehensive afterschool program for 75 at-risk teens from Mount Vernon.
The following received the second installments of their multi-year grants, announced last year:
- Family Services Center of Westchester — $50,000 to support Launching Pad, an initiative to help vulnerable, disadvantaged youth with a supportive transition out of group residences and foster care to independent living;
- The Youth Shelter Program of Westchester — $50,000 to support the Safe Alternatives for Youth Project, which provides a residential alternative to incarceration for young men, ages 16-21, who have been convicted of offenses in Westchester County criminal courts;
- The Volunteer Center of the United Way — $25,000 to support the Youth Volunteer Engagement Program, which trains youth and matches them with community service projects that provide hands-on experience in leadership, project management and team building;
- Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers — $30,000 to support ten students from Mount Vernon High School in the eight-year Full Circle Teacher Preparation Model, which ensures high-need, at-risk students graduate high school, enter college on scholarships, graduate with degrees, and return to their communities as highly effective teachers.
About The New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided more than $155 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. Through its focus on “Nurturing the Children,” the Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees, agents, and retirees of New York Life through its Volunteers for Life program. To learn more, please visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
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