Haley Reimbold '06 received a $500 Youth Literacy Grant from the National Educational Agency for the Young Scholars Community Initiative, a youth empowerment group that Reimbold began at Proctor High School in Utica. The goal of the group, which currently has 68 members, is to reach out to low-income teens who live in the Cornhill neighborhood of Utica by creating a teen-run coffee shop that will function as a community arts center and performance venue.
Reimbold and the other leaders hope to bring students and faculty from Hamilton into the community weekly to host literacy-based workshops and performances. With this grant, the Young Scholars Community Initiative has raised more than $3,800. Reimbold worked with Proctor High School students Brittani Bryant and Kevin Harris to apply for this grant.
The Youth Leaders for Literacy program is an initiative of the National Education Association (NEA) and Youth Service America (YSA) to help youth direct their enthusiasm and creativity into reading-related service projects.
-- by Laura Trubiano '07
