FMFCU Foundation Executive Director, Rick Durante, presented another Teacher Mini-Grant check this week. Andrea Ricevuto, teacher at Prospect Park School in the Interboro School District, applied for an innovative grant to bring therapy dogs to her school. Ms. Ricevuto works with 75 students in her Title One Reading program that she describes as “amazing, resilient, hard working little humans who constantly work towards improving their reading and writing skills every single day.” To further help improve her students reading skills, Ms. Ricevuto requested funds to partner with Pals For Life. The organization brings therapy dogs to school and allows students to bond and read to the furry friends.
Ms. Ricevuto told us that “reading to animals provides an anxiety free, interactive, motivational environment that students could work towards practicing for each week.” The grant will fund three visits in early 2019. We can’t wait to see the results!
Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union Foundation awarded mini-grants totaling nearly five thousand dollars to a dozen teachers across the region. In its inaugural mini-grant offering, the Foundation received 85 applications from kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers to help fund innovative student educational experiences that might not otherwise be funded. Mini-grant requests ranged from $51 to the cap of $500.
