CV families will be in good hands |
By Brian Wallheimer |
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The SIUE Family Resource Center will be receiving major support in its efforts to improve life for Cougar Village families with $10,000 from the Allstate Foundation. Audrey Johnson was recruited in August of 1998 to coordinate the Family Resource Center's programs. Since its opening, the center has offered tutoring, Spanish classes, dance classes, drama classes, 4-H Club and camp, dental screening, free immunizations and adult education classes. According to Johnson, volunteers make the programs possible. The center does not have much of a budget, so the $10,000 grant will go a long way towards benefiting the programs, Johnson said. Gary Doyle, the Allstate agent who wrote the proposal for the grant, has been very pleased with the program and what it has done for SIUE families. "The center is quite a plus for the families," Doyle said. The Allstate Foundation donates to organizations involved with highway safety, youth and housing. Doyle said the programs that the center provides were just the type of thing the Allstate Foundation was looking for. "It has been great watching kids with mediocre grades, or even below mediocre grades, start getting A's and B's," Doyle said. The center will use the money to focus on things such as teaching and educational materials, books, homework assistance, safety programs, drug and alcohol prevention, conflict resolution and development of parenting skills. The check will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Family Resource Center, located in building 420 of Cougar Village. Anyone interested in more information on the center or volunteering can call Audrey Johnson at 650-2331. | |