Blog

Funds will support out of school programming for Meyzeek Middle School students

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 25, 2016) – Family & Children’s Place has received a $3,000 grant from the Gilbert Foundation. The funds will support at-risk students at Louisville’s Meyzeek Middle School through the agency’s Family & School Services (FSS) program.

Family & Children’s Place is the leading agency in the Greater Louisville area providing preventive and corrective solutions through six program areas – Child & Family Services, Child Advocacy Center, Family & School Services, Family Stabilization Program, HANDS and the PAL Initiative –to the complex issues surrounding children who have been witness or subject to violence, neglect and abuse.

A magnet school, Meyzeek draws outside students to its excellent math, science and technology programs, but it’s also a neighborhood school, serving young people living in poverty in the Smoketown and Shelby Park communities, where more than 52 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The out of school experience provides highly structured activities to help students develop positive values, social competencies and identities. Activities include homework help, life skills development, enrichment activities and service learning projects.

During the summer, students cultivate and maintain a Community Garden. Students plan, plant  and harvest the garden, and learn the science of botany by doing, watching the seeds turn into plants and plants produce “fruit” and finding the seeds within. Students harvest tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli and other vegetables, which they enjoy for lunch.

The program also helps students learn to manage anger, to avoid alcohol and drugs, relate with peers, and critical thinking skills that help them reduce risk-taking behaviors and make better choices.

#    #    #

About Family & Children’s Place
Family & Children’s Place protects Kentuckiana children, families and communities from abuse, neglect and exploitation, and helps move them from hurting to healing.  We serve nearly 5,000 children and families annually through trauma-informed and impact-evident services.  For more information about Family and Children’s Place, visit www.famchildplace.org or call 502-893-3900.