The Española YMCA Teen Center receiving a $4,000 regional State Farm Good Neighbor grant Sept. 3. Courtesy photo
YMCA News:
- Grant Supports Programs at Española Teen Center
The Española YMCA Teen Center received a $4,000 regional State Farm Good Neighbor grant Sept. 3 during a presentation at local State Farm agent Lou Santoro’s office.
Teen Center Director Ben Sandoval and Y Executive Director Linda Daly accepted the grant that will support tutoring, health education and life skills classes offered at the Espanola Teen Center.
“The timing is perfect,” Daly said. “We have under-funded classes just as our school year begins. These guys are more than ‘good neighbors,’ they are great neighbors, and angels in disguise!”
Santoro said the grant recognizes the great work happening in the community. “State Farm has a long standing commitment to education, youth and to the communities in which we live and work,” he said.
ABOUT THE TEEN CENTER: The Center is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and is available to all area teenagers. It has a recreational wing, classroom section and computer center. Staff members use mentoring to build supportive relationships with youth. They also use skill building classes to engage youth, and programming and discussions to address teen pregnancy, substance abuse, alcoholism, and mental health issues. Additionally, staff tutor youth for current classes, help youth who have quit school en-engage, and also support students to study for and obtain their GED. The Center is partly funded by the City of Espanola, Rio Arriba County, Santa Fe County and United Way of Northern New Mexico/Los Alamos. In 2013, the Center served 644 unique youth.
About The Family YMCA: The Y was founded in 1955 in Los Alamos and is dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected and secure children, adults, families and communities. The Y is a charitable organization that works to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. In 2013, the Y provided $120,000 in financial assistance to 212 individuals.
The Y’s mission is to engage in partnerships in our communities to promote healthy life choices and to support community well-being and pressing social issues – from childhood obesity to graduation rates. For more information on the programs provided by the Y, visit www.laymca.org/index.shtml.
About State Farm®: State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, visit https:////www.statefarm.com or in Canada https:////www.statefarm.ca.
