Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties received a $40,000.00 grant from the Indian River Community Foundation to fund “Mentoring for Success in Early Childhood,” a new program to improve kindergarten readiness for at-risk children in Indian River County.

The program is a collaborative pilot project between Big Brothers Big Sister and the Early Learning Coalition of Indian River, Martin and Okeechobee Counties in which 50 at-risk pre-kindergarten students will be assigned a mentor three times a week to help develop pre-literacy skills.

The mentors, supplied by AmeriCorps staff from Big Brothers Big Sisters, will also focus on engaging the families of students in literacy activities to support continued learning in the home environment. The program is the first and only local mentoring program working with pre-kindergarten students and is considered an important part of helping Indian River County achieve its Moonshot Moment of having 90 percent of third grade students reading on grade level by 2018.

Jenna Stinnett, Americorps Program Director says “AmeriCorps staff and members are excited for this new opportunity to partner with the Early Learning Coalition to target pre-k students. AmeriCorps members have seen first hand, the difference strong pre-literacy skills can make in a student entering Kindergarten. These experienced members are excited to give students a solid foundation to build upon when they enter school. We are very thankful and honored to receive the Indian River Community Foundation’s generous gift!”

Jacki Jackson, Executive Director of the Early Learning Coalition is also excited saying “We are grateful to Indian River Community Foundation, and excited at the opportunity to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters on this new literacy initiative”   Jason Odom, Immediate Past Chair of the BBBS of IRC Advisory Committee would like to offer “A hearty thanks to the Indian River Community Foundation for its generous investment in bettering the lives of our most precious resource: our children.”

Current Chairman of the BBBS Advisory Board, Ken Roberts said “we greatly appreciate the support you have given us, with the help of organizations like yours we plan to continue making a difference, one child at a time.”  Joanna Meyers, BBBS of IRC Advisory Board member added “I am very excited about the pre-k literacy program.  Many young people will now have an opportunity to start their educational experience on a positive note”

The $40,000 grant was awarded by the Indian River Community Foundation through a competitive grants program designed to address time-sensitive community needs in the focus areas of literacy, homelessness and mental health/substance abuse.  Kerry Bartlett, Executive Director of the Indian River Community Foundation, said her Board of Directors appreciated the opportunity to help launch Indian River County’s first mentoring program for pre-kindergarten students.

“We’ve been working for over a year in cooperation with other individuals, local businesses and nonprofits to support Indian River County’s Moonshot Moment literacy goals ,” Bartlett said, “but this is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to help launch a program that will have such a lasting impact on the future success of children in our community.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of St Lucie, Indian River & Okeechobee Counties is a one-to-one mentoring organization that served 1,692 children in 2012 through a variety of mentoring programs.  Our vision is that all children achieve success in life and we accomplish that by providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that we hope will change their lives for the better, forever.  To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters and how you can be involved visit us online at www.bbbsbigs.org

The Indian River Community Foundation is a neutral nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Indian River County through donor-driven philanthropy. Founded in 2005, the organization began operating formally in 2008 and, in partnership with its donors, has since facilitated over $15 million in charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations, with more than 80 percent of those funds staying within Indian River County.  To learn more, visit www.ircommunityfoundation.com.