The Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation has awarded the Safe Streets Campaign a $50,000 grant for its Youth Leading Change (YLC) program.
The grant will help Safe Streets to expand the program in 2006 to Stadium and Wilson high schools and further support work at Foss, Lincoln and Mount Tahoma high schools where the program has functioned for the past seven years. In addition, the grant will allow Safe Streets to establish the program in the City of Lakewood through the Lakewood Youth Council.
YLC gives area youth the opportunity to develop leadership qualities — and help make positive changes in their schools and communities. It promotes wise choices about lifestyle issues and involves youth in community coalitions that address neighborhood safety and quality of life concerns.
YLC holds great promise for the future of Pierce County, said Priscilla Lisicich, executive director of Safe Streets. It taps the vast amount of talent and energy that our youth possess and puts it to work on real issues. Our youth really can help us solve community problems, and this generous grant from the Milgard Foundation will help us to access an even broader pool of talent.
For this school year, the Youth Leading Change program also has received grants from MultiCare Health System, Russell Investment Group, Simpson Tacoma Kraft, Rainier Pacific Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.
Safe Streets is the first private, non-profit organization that unites neighbors against crimea model for other programs nationwide. Serving Tacoma and Pierce County since 1989, Safe Streets equal a safe community. Both private and public dollars support Safe Streets community efforts. Learn more at http://www.safestreetscampaign.org .
