Starfish Family Services Awarded $50,000 Grant from PNC
By: Mark Winter
INKSTER, Mich., June 28, 2010 — Starfish Family Services (Starfish), an Inkster, Mich.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating brighter futures for the children of at-risk families in metropolitan Detroit, recently received a $50,000 grant from the PNC Foundation as part of its Grow Up Great initiative for early childhood education. Starfish Chief Executive Officer Ann Kalass made the announcement.
The grant was awarded to Starfish to develop and implement the Parent Empowerment Program. The program focuses on improving the school readiness of young children by providing comprehensive parent training to low-income parents so they have the skills and confidence to be their child’s most important teacher. The program provides support in areas like literacy and language development, and the grant will enable Starfish to expand and further develop the services offered by the Parent Empowerment Program.
“We are grateful for this wonderful and generous support from PNC,” said Kalass. “As we develop and expand our parenting programs that directly impact at-risk children in the area, organizations such as PNC have become critical to the continued success of the families we serve.”
Starfish has clarified its strategic focus in recent months aiming to create positive outcomes for children zero to five to create a successful start to school and life. This grant recognizes the importance of parents in preparing children for school readiness.
PNC Grow Up Great, a ten-year, $100 million initiative, helps prepare children from birth to age five – with a focus on underserved children – for success in school and life. The comprehensive bilingual, corporate-based school readiness program is committed to helping produce stronger, smarter and healthier children, families and communities.
About Starfish Family Services
Founded in 1963, Starfish Family Services is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty by creating family success. Based in Inkster, Mich., Starfish serves vulnerable children and families throughout metropolitan Detroit, providing early childhood and parenting programs, after school programs, children’s mental health services, and emergency shelter to teens and youth in crisis. Each year, Starfish helps more than 9,000 individuals, children and families.
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through its signature cause, Grow Up Great, PNC has created a 10-year, $100 million initiative to enhance early childhood education and school readiness.
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