BBBSOS Awarded a $30,000 AMGEN Foundation Grant

Little Brother, Tyler; Little Sister, Milangelys

Big Brother, Jeffrey Cohen; Big Sister, Brittany Lowry; Big Brother James Harkness

Top Row - Jimmy Fleming, Sr. Manager, Manufacturing; Cathy Desjarlais, Sr. Associate Learning & Performance; Big Sister, Brittany Lowry; Big Brother James Harkness; Gabby Audette, Assistant Site Coordinator - Kevin K. Coleman Elementary Middle Row: Little Sister, Isabella; Kathleen Sprague, Manager, Learning & Performance; Donna Corvese; Director Quality Operations Front Row: Little Brother, Xavier; Little Brother, Tyler; Little Sister, Milangelys Dejesus; Little Brother, Tyler; Little Sister Lissette; Katje Afonseca, Director of Development of BBBSOS Front Front: Big Brother, Jeffrey Cohen

Posted Wednesday, March 4, 2015 1:31 pm

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State (BBBSOS) awarded a $30,000 AMGEN Foundation Grant to develop a STEM curriculum for their Site Based Mentoring Programs.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State was recently awarded a $30,000 Amgen Foundation Grant to develop and implement a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum into the mentoring agency’s site-based programming. BBBSOS hosts programming at schools throughout Rhode Island. Kevin K. Coleman and Citizen's Memorial Elementary School in Woonsocket, RI were selected as model schools to test out this new component to the Site-Based Mentoring Programs. Site-Based Mentoring at these schools pairs college students with elementary and middle school students who are in need of support, guidance and encouragement as they navigate through school and daily life.

The STEM program has engaged a vulnerable population of children by affording them the opportunity to work with an experienced educator, outside of the classroom, to develop ideas which will be transformed into a science project and allow students, alongside their Big Brothers and Big Sisters to take a field trip to the Amgen campus in West Greenwich, RI. “The curriculum began being implemented in January,” said Site-Based Program Director Jennifer Krus. “We’re so excited to be able to bring new and exciting ways for children to experience science and potentially inspire them to pursue STEM opportunities as career options as they grow.”

“The Amgen Foundation is committed to making grants to programs that help students develop an understanding and appreciation for science,” said Anthony Pankau, Vice President, Site Operations, Amgen Rhode Island.

“We are excited to support the BBBSOS STEM curriculum to inspire tomorrow’s scientists. Charlotte Boudreau, Director of Education & School Linked Services, Connecting for Children & Families had this to say about the impact the grant will have on the students enrolled in the program, “BBBSOS has been partnering with Connecting for Children & Families since 2011 and continues to grow yearly. The mentors are a very motivated and dedicated group of students from Bryant University who help the children in our afterschool programs in ways they don’t even realize. Through this Amgen Foundation Grant, we will be able to enhance the experience for both the students in our sites and the Bryant volunteer mentors. The grant itself will allow us to bring STEM providers into the schools that will help facilitate the growth of the mentoring relationship, as well as learning through exciting hands on activities.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. To find out more about BBBSOS or to learn more about becoming a mentor to a child in Rhode Island, visit www.BBBSOS.org or call 401.921.2434.