DAVIE, Fla. (Feb. 13th, 2017) – Firewall Centers received a generous $10,000 grant from the Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund. The grant will support Firewall Centers’ T.H.I.N.K. Leadership program at Lauderhill 6-12 STEM-MED Magnet School serving 50 low-income students.
The Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund distributed $337,000 to 25 nonprofit organizations in Broward and Palm Beach Counties this grant cycle.
This is not the first time Firewall and the Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund have partnered together. In 2015, Firewall was awarded funds to expand their reach in the Pompano Beach area.
“The Firewall program helps students see that with the right help and support system together with their own hard work, they can break the cycle of poverty and reach their greatest potential,” said Janeth Fernandez, Firewall Centers’ Chief Program Director, “and we are grateful for our continued partnership with The Sun-Sentinel Children’s Fund to make this happen for more kids at Lauderhill 6-12 School.”
Firewall’s daily, school-based mentoring and tutoring program is designed to help low-income students achieve academic success, build character, and transform into servant leaders. The program, called T.H.I.N.K. (Take Charge, Have a Plan, Involve the Right People, Never Quit, Keep Giving Back) Leadership, provides students with opportunities to excel academically as they are given targeted attention on critical subjects like reading and math not only during the school year, but for several weeks in the summer.
The program also utilizes its own curriculum based on its T.H.I.N.K. acronym, equipping students with life skills that build their ability to set goals, make informed decisions, and overcome obstacles. Firewall is not just a program – it is a family that begins walking through life with students when they first enter middle school and continues throughout their high school years and as they transition into college/career.
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-Firewall Centers-
About Firewall Centers
Firewall was established in 2003 in response to the death of a thirteen year old girl who overdosed on drugs while left unsupervised during after-school hours. Ever since, the agency has been operating daily after-school tutoring and mentoring centers for at-risk students that instill character values and promote academic success, supporting them as they strive toward their greatest potential. For the 2016/2017 school year, Firewall’s T.H.I.N.K. Leadership program has eight Centers and is serving 400 Broward county students. The program’s overarching objective is to improve performance outcomes among at-risk students as related to their school attendance, behavior, and course performance, thus helping them to ultimately achieve self-sufficiency as they pursue their life goals. You can learn more about Firewall Centers and how you can get involved at www.firewallcenters.org or follow them at www.facebook.com/firewallcenters
-Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund-
About Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund
Established in 1990, through the Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund, local nonprofits with child & youth education programs, child abuse prevention & treatment programs, hunger and housing programs for at-risk children and their families are supported. Grants are made possible with the generosity of Sun Sentinel readers, the general public and corporate donations. All donations are matched at 50 cents on the dollar by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sun Sentinel and the McCormick Foundation pay all expenses, ensuring 100 percent of donations, plus the match, goes directly to local, nonprofit organizations making an impact. Since inception, more than $41 million has been distributed to improve the lives of at-risk children and families in Southern Florida. To learn more about the Sun Sentinel Children’s Fund visit http://sunsentinelchildrensfund.org/
-Robert R. McCormick Foundation-
About Robert R. McCormick Foundation Fund
Robert R. McCormick Foundation is committed to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic programs, Cantigny Park and museums, the Foundation helps develop citizen leaders and works to make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation’s largest foundations, with more than $1.5 billion in assets.
The McCormick Foundation’s Communities Program continues Col. McCormick’s legacy by partnering with media outlets, such as the Sun Sentinel, sports teams and philanthropic organizations across the country, to raise money and provide matching dollars which increase the impact of charitable giving. To learn more about the McCormick Foundation visit www.McCormickFoundation.org, Follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook.
