Bernardsville, Bedminster Receive Grant Money to Benefit Youth Services

BERNARDSVILLE/BEDMINSTER, NJ — Bernardsville and Bedminster are among the many recipients of Municipal Youth Services Commission grants that total $100,000, which were awarded by the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

A total of $80,000 in annual grants was distributed to Municipal Youth Services Commissions with kindergarten through eighth grade school districts. Some of the commissions serve multiple towns, including Bound Brook/South Bound Brook, Bridgewater/Raritan, Hillsborough/Millstone, Montgomery/Rocky Hill and the Somerset Hills commission, which includes Bedminster, Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone.

In addition to the annual grant awards, six competitive grants were awarded, totaling $20,000.

The Bernards Municipal Youth Services Commission, which developed a partnership with William Annin Middle School (WAMS) and the Student Assistance Counselor (SAC), will use a $5,000 competitive grant to implement curriculum changes and to develop strategic programming and support mechanisms to ease the transition from middle school into high school.

The Bound Brook/South Bound Brook Youth Services Commission will use its $5,000 competitive grant to support second and third-grade afterschool programs, which include recreation, homework tutoring and a variety of clubs.

Manville received two competitive grants in the amount of $2,500 each. One of the grants will fund an environmental after-school club that offers educational activities to help students connect to the world around them and understand their impact on the environment. The second competitive grant will fund an Art Connections Camp, which helps students in grades four to eight expand their creativity, self-expression and connections to their local surroundings.

Montgomery High School will use its $2,500 competitive grant to begin an Adventure Education course through its Peer Leadership Program. Students will learn by performing community and group-building activities. This innovative learning provides fun, engaging experiences that help students learn more, do more and become more than they thought possible.

The Warren Youth Services Commission will use a $2,500 competitive grant to offer academic support for at-risk students. The program will be staffed by two guidance counselors who provide study skills training, communicate with designated teachers, and identify missing assignments.

Ceremonial checks were presented at Sept. 13 public meetings, held in the Freeholders Meeting Room, located in the county administration building at 20 Grove St.

For more information, contact Cindy Britt, Somerset County Youth Services, at (908) 704-6352.

(Photo provided: At a public meeting on Sept. 13, Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh, right, presented three ceremonial checks to Manville Mayor Richard Onderko and Borough Administrator Andrea Bierwirth.)

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