Blog, Press Releases

Grant supports 10-week program to help at-risk students make healthy, positive choices

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 9, 2017) – The Jim and Madi Tate Fund has awarded a $3,000 grant to Family & Children’s Place to support advocacy and entrepreneurial projects for up to 30 students participating in the agency’s PAL Coalition programming.

PAL works with communities, private nonprofit agencies and federal, state, and local governments to reduce substance abuse by young people living in Park Hill, Algonquin, and Old Louisville.

The 10-week, one-day a week, three-hour-a-day program – Powerful Arriving Leaders Engage Louisville – benefits middle and high school-aged students who find themselves out of school for the summer with few job options and nowhere to go.

Participating students range in age from 12-19, are 98 percent African American and come from the 7th Street Corridor – Park Hill, Algonquin and Old Louisville. The program’s goal is to give students supports and activities to help them continue to make positive choices for themselves, their families and community.

Specifically, funds will be used to provide an educational field trip for the students, cover materials and printing for two PhotoVoice projects, beginning with “My Normal: Do You See What I See?” which debuted last month at Lynnhurst United Church of Christ. The grant also will provide lunch and snacks, roundtrip bus rental for a field trip and an educational consultant to help support programming.

The field trip, planned later in summer to the Chef Space, Louisville’s first kitchen incubator, will show students the potential for starting and owning their own business. The space offers multiple food preparation and processing stations, access to capital, storage space, and training opportunities for entrepreneurs/members.

PhotoVoice blends photography, dialogue, photo exhibits and social action to address community issues. The students in May explored areas around their homes, photographing things they consider issues. One student took pictures of trash on the street, another compared the price of beer vs. the price of water at a local convenient store – the water was more expensive. Students used the photos and themes to make posters to illustrate their concerns and encourage people to take corrective action.

The students are planning a second PhotoVoice project to round out the summer program.

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 The PAL Coalition works with communities, private nonprofit agencies and federal, state and local governments to reduce substance abuse by young people living in the 7th Street corridor – Park Hill, Algonquin and Old Louisville – of Central Louisville. It is housed and partnered with Family & Children’s Place.