Support Our Students recevies funds

The Community Enrichment Organization (CEO) in Tarboro has been awarded enough funds to support the Support Our Students program for three more years.

The state Department of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention awarded the three-year renewable Support Our Students (SOS) grant of $87,000 to CEO. The full grant amount of $87,000 will be given each year.

The program works with children in grades four-eight to build academic support, character education, cultural enrichment, physical education and service learning.

The after-school program will occur at Pattillo Elementary School, Martin Middle and Princeville Montessori School and Pioneer Courts from 3-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

CEO Director Doris Stith said that many of the students that participate in the program come from Pioneer Courts in Princeville.

"It reduces the need to transport children home at the end of the program," Stith said.

There is only one van to handle transporting children from the four different sites.

The times the program are offered is the key giving children guidance and assistance when most needed.

Stith said the program was developed under state legislature to reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy and other issues between the hours of 3-6 p.m.

"Students can go directly from their classes at the end of the day to the program," Stith said.

There are site managers at Pattillo, Princeville Montessori and Pioneer Courts. CEO is in the process of hiring a site manager at Martin Middle School.

Teresa Glass, Linda Black and Dorothy Terry are the current site managers.

CEO received the grant for the first time in 1994. CEO's SOS program was ranked first in an evaluation of state SOS programs in 2006-07.

The state funds SOS programs in each county. CEO went submitted a new application this year to continue the program.

Stith said their application was 129 pages filled with things such as needs assessment, policies, and a program plan for sustainability.

Parents who are interested in enrolling their child or children in the SOS program can contact Gwendolyn Knight at 823-1733. Knight will be the program coordinator at Edgecombe County Family Resource Center in Princeville.

The program will accept a minimum of 85 children but welcomes more than that.

Volunteers and mentors from the community are needed to help with the program.

"We want our youth to be successful and that will take the whole community for that the happen," Stith said.

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