Kelly For Kids gives $3,200 grant to Community Action

Provided photo, Community Action – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee was awarded a $3,200 grant from the Kelly for Kids Foundation for 2016. Bonnie Malakie, director of Children and Youth Services at Community Action, receives the check last month from Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.

The Kelly For Kids Foundation awarded 34 grants to Western New York not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organizations to help fund their initiatives. Kelly for Kids was founded in 1987 by Jim Kelly to assist children in need in the Western New York area.

Community Action was nominated for this grant by Danielle Rotundo, of Terry Hill’s Golf Course, Restaurant and Banquet Facility.

This grant, specifically for the Batavia Head Start Program, will allow for partnering with parents to support them in being their child’s first and most important teacher. With this grant, Community Action will offer classes/workshops and materials for parents of Head Start children to assist them in working with children at home. The classes will focus on increasing children’s literacy and math skills.

The Kelly for Kids grant will also be used to conduct two Head Start family events (children, parents, and siblings) that focuses on making literacy and math fun through interactive games, stories, refreshments, and materials/resources that can be taken home for future use.

Helping parents understand that learning about literacy and mathematics can be “fun for the family” will also engage them in a meaningful way. A similar program is being funded through the Albion Rotary Club in the 2015-16 year for Head Start and Albion Central School District.

The Batavia Head Start program serves children and families age birth-5 throughout Genesee County, who meet the eligibility requirements. This is a highly regulated program with an emphasis on preparing children for school and future life experiences. Parent engagement in the education of their child is vital.