Safe Children Coalition Receives Grant

July 22, 2022 – Sarasota

To assist at-risk middle and high school students in achieving their educational, career and life goals, Publix Super Markets Charities recently awarded a grant of $5,000 to Safe Children Coalition (SCC). These funds will directly support SCC’s Achievers program.

The Achievers program empowers at-risk, minority and other disadvantaged students to set and achieve goals in both their educational and personal lives, encouraging continuous growth in the areas of personal development, college preparation, community service and leadership, cultural enrichment, and career options. The program, which has served thousands of students in the community for over 30 years, is open to all middle and high school students in Sarasota County.

Thanks in part to generous foundation and corporate support, the program also provides scholarship opportunities to successful participants as they transition from high school to college; many Achievers will be the first generation in their families to attend college. In late June, Safe Children Coalition held the annual Achievers end-of-year celebration and scholarship awards, during which $43,000 in college scholarships were awarded to “Class of 2022” high school graduates as well as returning college students who were engaged with the program as teens.

The Achievers program has been proven, through several decades of collecting data, to increase graduation rates, improve leadership skills and motivation, and prepare youth affected by poverty for college and higher-wage jobs in the workforce. Achievers become future engaged citizens, successful college graduates, and leaders in our community who can pass on the legacy of success to future generations.

“For 32 years, our Achievers program has helped to set up area students for scholastic and life success,” said Brena Slater, president and CEO of Safe Children Coalition. “Many Achievers are the first in their families to go to college, giving them the motivation and tools to succeed after high school, which helps to break the cycle of generational poverty. We are grateful to Publix Super Markets Charities for supporting this program and helping our program participants to achieve their goals.”

In 1966, Publix Super Markets founder George W. Jenkins established a charitable foundation with the intention of caring for his community – and with a vision that the giving would continue long after he was gone. Today, Publix Super Markets Charities remains committed to serving the communities in which Publix operates. Publix Super Markets Charities supports organizations that focus on youth, education, reducing hunger, and alleviating homelessness.

For more information about the Achievers program and to learn how you can help, call program director Jone Williams at 941-487-6600. For more on Safe Children Coalition, visit sccfl.org.