SUMMER YOUTH INITIATIVE RECEIVES
C.S. MOTT FOUNDATION SUPPORT

(FLINT, MICHIGAN, APRIL 16, 2008)  Efforts to help Genesee County teens find summer jobs and access other skill-building experiences received a boost today, thanks to a $775,000 grant to the Genesee Area Focus Fund from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for the 2008 Summer Youth Initiative (SYI).

The SYI is targeting Flint-area youths who, as of April 1, had completed or were enrolled in the initiative’s TeenQuest Pre-Employment Leadership Training, a skill development program offered by the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce (GRCC). Young people who participated in SYI in either 2006 or 2007 are also eligible. Applicants must also currently be residents of Genesee County; be enrolled in grades 9-12 in a school within the greater Flint area or in home school; and be 14-18 years of age.

Applications for the 2008 program are being accepted through April 25 and are available at the GRCC offices, located at 519 South Saginaw Street in downtown Flint. Applications and information about the SYI and TeenQuest are also available by contacting the GRCC at 810-600-1413 and online at thegrcc.org/EETC/.

The 2008 SYI, with support from the Mott grant, will help local nonprofit organizations and businesses offer paid seasonal employment to approximately 450 young people from throughout Genesee County. That work will include providing recreational and educational programs to local children and families; creating community gardens; and helping neighborhood clubs organize events and activities.

Participants also will volunteer at least one day with community-service projects and engage in learning opportunities designed to promote career and leadership preparedness.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, young people need the life skills and work experiences that will prepare them -- and the community -- for future success,” said Maureen H. Smyth, Senior Vice-President of Programs and Communications at Mott. “The Summer Youth Initiative is helping area families make the most of those opportunities.”

SYI is now in 13th year and has received $7 million in Mott support since 1996.

The Foundation grant was announced at 10:00 a.m. today at the offices of the GRCC, which coordinates the SYI. The Focus Fund, a nonprofit arm of the GRCC, receives and administers funds for educational and charitable purposes, and the public welfare of Genesee County.

Rhetta Hunyady, Group Vice-President of Operations and Employer Education & Training Connection at GRCC, said that the 2008 SYI will include more opportunities for participants to gain work experience in the private sector. She also noted that the program will emphasize the key role that youth initiatives continue to play in the community.

For example, teens who participated in the 2007 SYI were able via their summer jobs to connect more than 7,000 other local young people with recreational and educational activities.

“In sharing their unique skills and strengths, these youth are helping to create a new future for Genesee County,” Hunyady said.

The GRCC is the voice of business and community advocacy in Genesee County, working with local government, businesses, education and nonprofit organizations to support the growth and development of the greater Flint community economically, culturally and socially. For more information, visit thegrcc.org.

The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 in Flint by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa) and London. The Foundation, with year-end assets of approximately $2.7 billion, made 527 grants totaling $108.7 million in 2007. For more information, visit Mott.org.

Media contacts:

Stan Blood
Vice President of Communications & Marketing
Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce
810.600.1418

Marilyn S. LeFeber
Vice President of Communications
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
810.238.5651