Mentoring programs in the Emporia schools got a boost Tuesday when the school district received a grant for $9,090 for the programs.
The grant, from the Kansas Mentors program, was announced by co-chairs Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and former Kansas State University football coach Bill Snyder.
The Emporia grant is part of $182,000 in awards announced Tuesday. In all, 22 mentoring projects in the state will benefit from the latest round of grants. The program has been in place for three years and has given out close to $500,000. The money comes from the governor’s discretionary portion of the funding from the federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.
“The financial pressures that many mentoring programs face can be daunting,” Sebelius said in the news release announcing the grants. “By supporting our state’s mentoring partners, we are helping these organizations provide a crucial service to our children.”
In Emporia, many volunteers donate their time to work with children in the schools, giving them needed academic help and acting as older role models.