by Aundrea Cline-Thomas
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville Mayor Karl
Dean and the Martha O'Bryan Center announced a half million dollar federal
grant Wednesday that will help thousands of children here in Nashville.
The Martha O'Bryan Center received a grant from the U.S.
Department of Education to help build the Nashville Promise Neighborhood. It's
a program to help 6,000 at-risk children by improving the health and safety in
their neighborhoods.
The new Promise Neighborhood will bring together government agencies, Metro Schools and other community
organizations to provide continuous support services from the time a child is
born until they go to college or start their career.
It will also help expand access to learning technology in troubled
areas.
The Martha O'Bryan Center
already provides services to low income families in the high poverty neighborhood of the Casey community in
Nashville, aiming to give them same opportunity at success as their middle
class peers. Many kids call it their home away from home.
A $500,000 federal Promise Neighborhood grant will turn the
challenges of the neighborhood into an opportunity. The Martha O'Bryan Center
joins less than three dozen organizations nationwide that will now provide
services from throughout a child's life starting at birth.
"The
goal is for us to literally end the
cycle of poverty for thousands of children in our city by giving them a pathway
to success," said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.
Through
partnerships with Metro Schools and other community organizations, the money
will be used to assess the most pressing needs of the neighborhoods in the
Stratford High School cluster.
Some
existing programs will be expanded while new ones will be created.
"Young
people need opportunities to learn year round," explained Martha O'Bryan
Executive Director Whitney Weeks
The
goal is to eliminate any barriers for students to achieve his dreams. The
Martha O'Bryan Center will develop programs that support both Metro schools and
the Mayors initiatives.
The
Martha O'Bryan Center was one of twenty recipients of the grant. More than 200
organizations across the country applied.
To learn more about Promise Neighborhoods visit the Martha O'Bryan Website.
email: acline-thomas@newschannel5.com
