TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Grant Money Bolsters Education Opportunities

ADVERTISEMENT

By HERNANDO TODAY STAFF

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Art programs, after-school tutoring and early learning programs are among the causes that will get a boost from the Community Foundation of Hernando County's latest round of grant awards.

The foundation is doling out $25,000 to seven local organizations for specific purposes.

The foundation was formed in 2006 by Hernando County residents as a division of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, a group named earlier this year as one of the most efficient organizations of its kind.

With this latest batch, the foundation has dispersed $84,000 during the past 18 months.

Here's a rundown of the seven recipients:

•ARC Nature Coast - $2,500 to purchase a horse trailer for its POSSE therapeutic riding program. ARC and its special needs clients travel with horses to competitions and other events.

"In the past, we have had to rely on volunteers to donate their time and equipment to get us back and forth to events," ARC Executive Director Mark Barry said in a statement. "Thanks to the Community Foundation of Hernando County and Leadership Hernando, soon we will have our own means of transporting the horses to competitions."

•Big Brothers, Big Sisters - $2,500 to start "arts-infused" activities for its mentoring programs.

•Children's Advocacy Center of Hernando County (Mid Florida Community Services, Inc.) - $2,500 to buy an electronic, Web-based case tracking system.

•Foster Parent Association of Hernando County - $5,000 to help 80 foster children take part in extracurricular sports and activities, Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, marching band and dance lessons.

•Hernando County Education Foundation - $5,000 to provide after-school tutoring to low performing students in the subjects of reading, math, and language arts.

"After-school tutoring is often not within the financial resources of many of the families whose children struggle to achieve skills during their regular classroom instruction," foundation board member Barbara Sweinberg said in a release. "This award makes available the opportunity for low-performing students to achieve success."

•Junior Achievement of West Central Florida - $5,000 for the "Diploma-see Day program" that aims to show eighth-graders the importance of staying in school.

•United Way of Hernando County - $2,500 to help start the Imagination Library, a program that meant to improve early learning opportunities for children up to age 5 by sending age-appropriate books to their homes.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT