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Photo Caption: (left to right) Paul Fleishman, Newsday’s VP of Marketing; Deidra Parrish Williams, Newsday’s Manager of Community Affairs; Severio Ford and Michelle Laser of MercyFirst; Dale Cole, Community Affairs Project Manager.
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MercyFirst was recently awarded $10,000 by Newsday Charities, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, in support of it’s Advantage Program. The Advantage Program was initiated in 2006 to provide academic enrichment and extracurricular activities for some of the region’s most vulnerable high school students. Currently this after-school program serves 40 to 75 high school students in Uniondale, NY. These teens are considered “at-risk,” many have a history of truancy, poor academic performance, and gang involvement.
“We are extremely grateful for this grant,” explains Michelle Laser, Director of MercyFirst’s Nassau Preventive Services Program. “I’m glad that Newsday recognizes the importance of the work we do and is helping us to enhance the services we provide to these youth. Our program provides a ‘safe-haven’ to gather after school, where they can be guided by caring adults, who work with them to improve their academic skills, along with promoting positive social skills, both of which increase the likelihood of their future success.”
The Advantage Program offers more than just academic enrichment to these at-risk youth. They take part in a range of activities from dance and music to drama and sports. Conflict resolution, decision making, truancy prevention workshops, and pregnancy prevention groups are also intricate parts of this comprehensive program, which fosters self-esteem and leadership skills, as well as a sense of community involvement.
