South Carolina Afterschool Alliance Awarded USDA Grant

Columbia , SC ----Vernita Dore, State Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced an award of $99,990.00 grant to the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance. The grant is a Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) administered through the USDA Rural Development’s Business and Cooperative Programs.

Building the After School Workforce in Rural Areas, a project of the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance and funded by the USDA, will enhance after school programs in rural areas by creating a pilot to provide professional development and training to after school staff serving students living in sixteen counties with unemployment rates of 14% or higher. The project will provide 5 regional trainings coupled with intensive technical assistance to approximately 162 frontline staff serving 8,100 students in Allendale, Bamberg , Barnwell, Clarendon, Cherokee, Chester , Chesterfield , Dillon, Lancaster , Marion , Marlboro, McCormick, Orangeburg, Union, Williamsburg and York (Clover & Rock Hill).

“This partnership is the first of its kind in the nation and will serve as a model for other after school statewide networks across the country. After school programs offer an effective and affordable way of overcoming obstacles confronting rural communities and helping children realize their potential,” said South Carolina Afterschool Alliance Executive Director, Zelda Q. Waymer.
For more information about this project, please fill out the "I'm interested!" form.