The Salvation Army of Shawnee, serving Lincoln, Pottawatomie, and Seminole counties, was recently awarded a grant from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund (ESSER) by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). The grant is for an after-school program in the Tecumseh Public School District. The award totals $397,916 with funding for start-up and an annual award through June 2024.
“This grant provides the necessary funding to permit us to expand our Boys & Girls Club after-school programming to an underserved community in Pottawatomie County,” states Captain Patrick Connelly, Commanding Officer for the Shawnee Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club will be providing healthy snacks, mentoring, tutoring, and fun and games for first through fifth graders Monday – Friday from 3:45 PM until 5:45 PM. The Salvation Army is partnering with Tecumseh Public Schools to provide the free program for students from Barnard and Cross Timbers. Transportation will be provided from Barnard to Cross Timbers where activities will take place. The programming will focus on building character and leadership through healthy lifestyles and academic success. The setting allows for a fun and safe environment where youth can reach their full potential.
Julio Sanchez, Club Director for The Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Club, says “This award gives us the opportunity to do the most good for youth that need us the most in the community. It allows for us to provide a safe and fun place where great futures start”.
Robert Kinsey, Superintendent of Tecumseh Schools says, “We are looking forward to this opportunity to work with The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. It will provide our students and families with supports that they need, and we believe that it will have a major impact on our students both academically and emotionally. This is the start of something big for our district and community.”
For more information or to sign-up your child, please call 405-273-1470.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
