The Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation has awarded a total of $3,500 in grants to three Wisconsin-based charities: COA Youth & Family Centers, Wheaton Franciscan–St. Joseph Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay.
The Make It Better Foundation gifted a $2,000 grant to COA Youth & Family Centers, a Milwaukee area nonprofit that concentrates on serving children, strengthening families, and building communities. Grant funds will support its home-based Literacy Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)—an evidence-based early literacy and school readiness program for preschool children ages 3–5. In HIPPY, children develop literacy, motor, cognitive, communication, and social/emotional skills through a 30-week in-home curriculum that is provided by HIPPY Parent Partners. More specifically, the donation will sponsor families in the HIPPY program as well as offset the cost of books, activities, family gathering nights, and home visits from Parent Partners.
“We are thrilled to partner with Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation for the HIPPY program and deeply appreciate this generous grant support,” says Christine Sweeney, development and public relations director, COA Youth & Family Centers. “This grant allows COA to provide an internationally acclaimed, home-based early literacy program for families with preschool-aged youth as well as allows us to equip them with a foundation for academic achievement for the long-term.”
A $500 grant to Wheaton Franciscan–St. Joseph Foundation will benefit its Anytime CPR Training (ACT)—a curriculum-based program for youth between ages 4–18 that educates and prepares participants for emergency situations. The goal of the program is to provide youth with the knowledge and understanding of basic life supporting first aid skills and willingness to engage in an emergency situation. The ACT was established in 2002 and is implemented in Milwaukee area schools and community-based organizations. Grant funds will support program costs for up to 40 participants.
“The grant will provide added opportunity to train more school-age children,” says Gloria Singleton-Young, ACT program coordinator. “The training the students receive will strengthen safety in the community and provide them with skills that will help them in the future.”
A $1,000 grant will support the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay’s Teen Cuisine program, which is a nutrition education and cooking skill development program that teaches youth ages 13–18 how to prepare healthy snack recipes and provides nutritious foods for youths at risk of hunger. Grant funds will offset the direct costs associated with the Teen Cuisine program's implementation including the purchase of healthy food ingredients and food service supplies needed by teens to prepare daily, nutritious snacks.
“This generous contribution from the Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation means that more Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay teens will have hands-on opportunities to develop essential health and life skills through the Teen Cuisine program,” says Johanna Wicklund, senior director of strategy & measurement, Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay. “The Teen Cuisine after school cooking club contributes to healthier lifestyles among an estimated 150 teens in the Greater Green Bay area through providing increased access to nutritious snacks, while equipping many with important food preparation and life skills.”
Each grant is funded through the Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization established in 2013. The Make It Better Foundation aims to improve the general welfare and quality of life in the communities Cousins Subs serves and addresses three areas of interest that are vital to any community: health and wellness, hunger, and youth education.
“We selected these organizations to receive monetary support from our Make It Better Foundation due to their valuable work and devotion to bettering the lives of all in their respective communities,” says Justin McCoy, director on Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation board.
