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September 05, 2008

Contact: Marilyn S. LeFeber, 810.238.5651, mlefeber@mott.org

2008-2009 Bridges to the Future program receives $2.5 million Mott grant

FLINT, Michigan – Efforts to provide quality afterschool opportunities for children throughout Genesee County have received renewed support through a one-year, $2.5-million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for the Bridges to the Future Before and Afterschool Program.

The grant, made to the United Way of Genesee County, which coordinates Bridges, will support programming during the 2008-09 school year for students in grades K-9 in 21 school districts. The grant will also fund ongoing evaluation and refinement of the Bridges model, and professional development activities for program providers. Mott funding will complement more than $4.5 million in federal funding for Bridges programs.
 
Bridges, launched in 1998, offers school-based programs -- such as tutoring, mentoring and literacy services -- that help young people build their academic skills, as well as a broad range of enrichment activities. In addition, Youth Advisory Councils help students shape their educational experiences, engage in community service and develop leadership skills.
 

Study partners.

Bridges is a partnership of the local United Way, Flint Community Schools and Genesee Intermediate School District.

Mott grantmaking related to Bridges, including support for program provision, development and capacity building, has totaled $14.7 million since 2000.
 
Mott President William S. White notes that such support reflects the Foundation’s longstanding belief that “education -- both inside and outside the classroom -- is key to helping families imagine, shape and create a new future for themselves and the country.
 
“The Bridges program, by bringing quality learning opportunities to Flint area youth, is supporting that positive change in our home community,” said White.
 
Ronald J. Butler, the local United Way’s executive director, notes that strengthening the consistency of service across the Bridges sites, monitoring the program’s impacts on participants and identifying opportunities to expand and sustain funding for the program will remain key goals in the near future.
 
“Education -- both inside and outside the classroom -- is key to helping families imagine, shape and create a new future for themselves and the country."
“Bridges offers the unique opportunity to support the overall success -- academic, social, and emotional -- of young people across Genesee County. With the help of our partners, including the Mott Foundation, the program will build on that mission and deepen its impact on children and families.”
 
United Way of Genesee County, founded in 1922, supports programs that provide a variety of human services within four focus areas: basic needs, child/youth development, older adults and strengthening families. The organization has been a Mott grantee since 1928.
 

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