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April 04, 2007
Contact: Marilyn S. LeFeber, Vice President-Communications,
810.238.5651,
info@mott.org
Summer Youth Initiative in Flint receives Mott support
FLINT — Genesee County teens again will have help finding summer jobs and other career-building experiences with the support of a $775,000 grant by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to the Genesee Chamber Foundation (GCF) for the 2007 Summer Youth Initiative.
Specifically, the grant will help local nonprofit organizations offer paid seasonal employment to approximately 400 Flint-area youth from ages 14 to 18. That work will include providing recreational and educational programs to local children and families; creating community gardens; carrying out beautification projects; and working on home construction.
Participants also will volunteer at least one day with community service projects and engage in learning opportunities designed to promote career and leadership preparedness.
“Possessing a broad range of personal skills and life experiences is increasingly key to the future success of young people,” said Maureen H. Smyth, senior vice-president of programs and communications at Mott. “The Flint Summer Youth Initiative helps local students develop those resources.”
GCF, a nonprofit arm of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce (GRCC), receives and administers funds for educational and charitable purposes and the public welfare of Genesee County.
GRCC, which coordinates the initiative, also plans to link area teens with summer jobs at for-profit businesses. It is currently exploring strategies for matching those employers’ contributions to youth salaries.
The initiative, now in its 12th year, has received $6.2 million in Mott support since 1996.
Rhetta Hunyady, group vice-president of operations and employer education & training connection at GRCC, notes that the initiative’s benefits extend far into the Flint community.
For example, the youth workers, via their summer jobs, are expected to connect 2,500 additional young people in Genesee County with recreational, educational and skill-building activities.
“By connecting young people with life opportunities, the initiative is strengthening Genesee County families and neighborhoods,” Hunyady said.
To be eligible for the 2007 initiative, young people must live in Genesee County; be enrolled in school within the greater Flint area or be in home school; and be ages 14 to 18 years as of June 18. Applications are available at local schools, nonprofit organizations and the GRCC’s office at 519 South Saginaw Street in downtown Flint. Additional information is available by contacting the GRCC at 810-600-1404.
The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa) and London. The Foundation, with 2012 year-end assets of $2.28 billion, made 439 grants totaling $91 million. For more information, visit www.mott.org.
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