The Ralphola Taylor Community Center is a sanctuary for East End kids. From the center:
FAIRFIELD COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FUNDS SAFE SPACE PROGRAM FOR BRIDGEPORT YOUTH
The Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA recently received a grant of $10,000 from the Fairfield County Community Foundation. The awards will be used for the Center’s Summer Night Violence Prevention program; an evening recreational and educational program for youth between the ages of 11 and 18. The goal of this program is to offer recreational, educational and social programs during weekday evening hours, providing safe, productive alternatives to gang-related activity and crime.
The program combines structured athletic activities, tutoring, computer instruction, job training and placement, and independent living skills training. This comprehensive, holistic model is designed to increase each child’s self-esteem, leadership skills and feeling of self-worth, while decreasing involvement in crime and gang activity among youth in Bridgeport’s East End.
The program is expected to serve 150 disadvantaged students over a one-year period. The program will specifically target high school boys and girls, who are most at risk for crime and gang involvement. All activities promote positive behavior, strengthen each student’s self-confidence and decrease the student’s vulnerability to criminal activity.
“We’re so grateful to the Fairfield County Community Foundation for this funding,” said Taylor Center Executive Director Esperina Baptiste. “Without evening programs, many kids in this community are on their own, and are easy for gangs to recruit.”
The Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA is a multi-purpose human service agency, dedicated to improving the quality of life by strengthening the family and the individual. The Center was created in 1979 by community residents to meet the health, educational and recreational needs of underserved families living in the East End of Bridgeport.
The Fairfield County Community Foundation promotes the growth of community and regional philanthropy to improve the quality of life throughout Fairfield County. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds and contribute to existing funds. The Foundation also provides philanthropic advisory services, and develops and leads initiatives to tackle critical community issues. It is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards for community foundations. The Foundation has awarded over $120 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org.
How about getting some bucks for Ken Bruno over at the Bridgeport Boys and Girls Club? This is a very worthwhile organization that is being thrown under the bus by Finch and his flies. The Boys and Girls Club provides safe haven for inner city kids away from the gangs and drug dealers after school and until their parent(s) return home …