The Yerwood Center’s Yerwood Scholars Program has received a $12,000 discretionary grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF). This is the second year of FCCF’s support. The program provides elementary school students from Stamford’s West Side area with an after school program featuring an academically focused curriculum combined with computer literacy and life skills training. Allison Sam, Yerwood Center Executive, commented that “…this program focuses on helping neighborhood students do better both at school and in day-to-day life. Last year was the program’s first year, and it met with great success. Both parents and teachers were very pleased with the assistance the program provided to students.” In addition to this program, the Stamford YMCA runs the L.E.A.D. program at the Yerwood Center as part of the Stamford YMCA-Yerwood Center Partnership. These programs are targeted to help low-income and minority students overcome the academic achievement “gap” highlighted in recent Connecticut Mastery Test results.
Karen Brown, Program Director at the Fairfield County Community Foundation, said “The Fairfield County Community Foundation is very pleased to support the students served by the Yerwood Scholars Program. This is an important after school program. We are also impressed with the success of Yerwood Center’s collaboration with the YMCA of Stamford, which has clearly benefited both organizations and the youth and families they serve.”
The Yerwood Scholars Program curriculum
includes –
· Student homework assistance and tutoring—Tutors are available to provide increased one-on-one tutoring.
· Close coordination with schools—The Yerwood Center has worked with the Stamford Community Center Coalition to develop close links to the Stamford Public Schools. Plans are in place to enable the Yerwood Staff to have information from the schools regarding what type of special tutoring each individual student needs.
· Report card review and individual student counseling – Report cards will be reviewed with each student and parent to ensure proper support from both our program and parents.
· Computer Literacy Training – Students will receive training on computer fundamentals, and 4th graders will receive training on Word Processors in the Yerwood Center Computer Laboratory.
· Enrichment activities – Enrichment activities will include a chess club, environmental education sessions with Soundwaters and trips to museums.
· Life Skills Training – The KYDS life skills training program taught by The Human Element will teach various life skills and address topics of importance to youth.
· Monthly Parent Meetings – Each month a parent meeting will be held to discuss current program plans, near term activity schedule, and parental support requirements.
· Recreation – Students will have time each day in the gymnasium for physical activity programs.
· Schedule – Our program will be run Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6:00 PM to accommodate working parents.
Parents interested in enrolling their children in the program should contact Kit Murdock at the Yerwood Center at 203-327-2790.
The Yerwood Center, Inc. is a community center located on Stamford’s West Side. It was founded in 1937 by the area’s first Black female physician, Dr. Joyce Yerwood. The Yerwood Center provides after school, computer literacy, cultural and recreation programs for children on Stamford’s West Side. In addition, it offers computer literacy training for adults in the area. The Center has also recently initiated a major Hispanic outreach program to reach a greater number of residents from the West Side. The Stamford Day Care Center, the Haitian Community Center, and the New Covenant House of Hospitality are also located at the Yerwood Center. Additional information about the Yerwood Center can be found at its web site – www.yerwoodcenter.org.
Based in Wilton, the Fairfield County Community Foundation is a growing community foundation with assets of more than $45 million in over 185 different donor funds established by individuals, organizations, families and corporations to serve Fairfield County now and in the future. Through the Foundation, donors support programs in the arts, children and youth, women and girls, community and economic development, the environment, and health and human services.
In the past year, according to Fairfield County Community Foundation Chair Wilmot Harris, the Community Foundation awarded grants to nonprofit organizations totaling almost $7 million. In addition, the Fairfield County Nonprofit Loan Fund has provided approximately $10 million in loans to nonprofit organizations since 1992.
For more information about the Fairfield County Community Foundation, please call (203) 834-9393 or e-mail info@fccfoundation.org