Franklin Community Center was recently awarded several grants in support of its Project Lift program.
The agency received $500 from the Town of Greenfield Lions Club, $3,000 from the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs, $5,000 from the Stewart’s Holiday Match, $9,000 from The Christopher Dailey Foundation and $14,000 from The Hawley Foundation for Children.
Project Lift, created in 1984 as a free after school program, addresses the growing need for youth to have prevention-based conversations as well as the opportunity to enhance their social and emotional skills. The funding assistance will support the impactful program as well as provide for the ancillary services offered to the Project Lift students and their families.
Franklin Community Center is blessed to have these organizations as partners. Thanks to all of their long-standing grant support, the students who attend our after-school program are able to benefit from the Back to School Backpack program, Holiday Assistance, Food Assistance and Camp Assistance, said Colleen O’Connor Potter, Project Lift program director.
“Helping children develop social and emotional skills is the heart and soul of our program and we are pleased to have the commitment of these organizations in supporting our work,” she said. “Being able to rely on this generous funding helps Franklin Community Center meet our goals in providing fun and impactful experiences for each of our Lift students. We are so appreciative and look forward to many more years working together with these great community organizations.”
Project Lift works directly with students in grades first to sixth in the Saratoga Springs City School District. The program serves up to 175 children and their siblings in all six elementary schools and the middle school, with support to the students’ families. Services include Camp Assistance, which offers scholarships for participants enrolled in Project Lift the experience of attending summer camp.
The goal is to offer students a place where they may learn about and better understand themselves in a safe, supportive, and relaxed natural environment. Providing camp opportunities to children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds helps the students to constructively learn independence and safe risk-taking, build relationships with peers and reap the benefits of connecting with nature.
Community members interested in learning more about supporting the program and the services provided, can find more information at www.franklincommunitycenter.org.
The Saratoga Springs-based organization has been providing vital programs and services to individuals and families in the Saratoga County area for almost 40 years. Its mission is to work with individuals and other agencies to provide services that will improve the quality of life and foster a sense of neighborhood, community and family for all people.