Project Grant 18SFSSC002

AN ESTIMATED 60 UNDUPLICATED FOSTER GRANDPARENT VOLUNTEERS WILL SERVE IN OUR FOCUS AREA OF LAURENS COUNTY. SOME OF THEIR VOLUNTEER SERVICE ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE: 1) MENTORING FOR EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS 2) PROMOTING ACADEMIC GUIDANCE AND LEADERSHIP 3) ENCOURAGING AND REINFORCING APPROPRIATE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS 4) SUPPORTING SCHOOL READINESS AND 5) FOSTERING HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, AGES PRE-SCHOOL AND OLDER, IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE SCHOOL READINESS AND K-12 SUCCESS AT EACH OF OUR PROPOSED VOLUNTEER STATIONS WITHIN THE LAURENS COUNTY COMMUNITY. AT THE END OF THIS PROGRAM, WE EXPECT TO SEE INCREASED IMPROVEMENT IN SCHOOL READINESS AND K-12 SUCCESS BY END OF EACH SCHOOL YEAR. THE CNCS FEDERAL INVESTMENT OF $281,323 WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY A LOCAL IN-KIND MATCH OF $31,258 (WHICH WILL INCLUDE IN-KIND DONATIONS OF PHYSICAL OFFICE SPACE ALONG WITH TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PROVIDED TO SEVERAL FGP VOLUNTEERS FREE OF CHARGE TO THE VOLUNTEER).