America SCORES New York Receives KidCents Regional Grant from The Rite Aid Foundation

The Rite Aid Foundation awarded a $30,000 KidCents Regional Grant to America SCORES New York to support the Literacy in Action curriculum.

America SCORES New York's mission is to serve as a driving force in social justice

youth development through fair play, self-expression, commitment and teamwork for youth in under resourced communities in New York City. Through a combination of soccer, poetry and service-learning, our unique after-school program shines a spotlight on these poet-athletes, helping them develop the skills necessary to lead successful lives off the field and outside the classroom.

America SCORES has successfully run NYC's only year-round program with both after-school program and summer components of soccer, poetry and service learning for at-risk elementary school students for the past 17 years. Their program, Literacy in Action, uses three curricula: Health through Soccer, Power of Poetry, and Writing for the Community. Each part of the curriculum is aligned with the national education standards and focuses on increased positive academic behaviors and attitudes, increased readiness for school, and increased school and community engagement for schools throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Inwood, Washington Heights, and Harlem.

The KidCents Regional Grant Program, which provides grants of $15,000-$30,000, funds specific out-of-school time programs focused on children's nutrition, physical fitness and academic success. The KidCents program also annually supports a select group of more than 400 nonprofit, kid-focused organizations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of children living in the communities Rite Aid serves, as well as national organizations focused on critical children's issues including The Fred Rogers Company, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and Folds of Honor.

In this cycle of KidCents Regional Grants, The Rite Aid Foundation awarded 233 nonprofit grants totaling more than $5 million. Grants were available in select counties in the following states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.

“The Rite Aid Foundation is committed to being a caring neighbor and making meaningful differences for the children and families who live in the communities we serve,” said Tracy Henderson, director of The Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives. “The Regional Grant Program significantly expands the reach and impact of our KidCents program, while enabling our partner organizations to provide critical out-of-school time programs that are vital to keeping children and adolescents on track for future success.”

KidCents Regional Grants support nonprofit organizations with programs that serve children, grades K-12, and improve quality of life in Rite Aid communities. The grants support three of KidCents' primary focus areas for improving the health and wellbeing of children: healthy eating, active living and education. To be considered, programs and projects were required to take place during out-of-school-time with priority given to programs that support communities in need.

This is the second cycle of KidCents Regional Grants. In the first cycle, The Rite Aid Foundation awarded 180 grants, totaling more than $4 million.

Another cycle of KidCents Regional Grants will launch in 2020. To learn more about the program, visit riteaid.com/grants.