Penn Manor Education Foundation (PMEF) has awarded more than $15,000 in grants to improve opportunities for students and families through its Strong and Healthy Families initiative.
The 2019 Strong Grants include $5,000 to pay for uniforms, tools, equipment and supplies for financially challenged Penn Manor students attending Lancaster Career and Technology Center programs; $2,500 to help students pay fees for dual enrollment classes and Advanced Placement tests to earn college credits; and $1,000 to pay for credit-recovery courses to help students graduate.
In addition, a $2,000 grant is supporting Samaritan Counseling Center's Teen Hope program, which provides mental health screenings to all Penn Manor ninth-graders. A $1,000 grant will fund a Literacy Outreach program that brings books and other materials to children in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and that provides books to all kindergarten students.
Additional grants include $1,000 for supplies for PM CARES, a program that provides household essentials to families in need; $1,850 for counseling programs for at-risk students; and $760 to purchase graduation caps and gowns for students from low-income families.
The $15,110 total awarded this year is the highest since the Strong and Healthy Families initiative was established in 2016 in response to the increasing needs of families in the Penn Manor community. Nearly 43 percent of Penn Manor students now qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
The Strong Grants are in addition to PMEF's Venture Grant program for classroom teachers and its scholarship program for graduating Penn Manor High School seniors.
For more information on Strong and Healthy Families, readers may contact PMEF executive director Jan Mindish at pmef2@pennmanor.net.
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