House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #559 Project Outreach
Requester:	Norman Penner		Organization:		Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County
Project Title:	Project Outreach		Date Submitted:		01/21/2000 11:59:10 AM
District Member:	Kenneth Pruitt		Service Area:		County
Counties Affected:	St. Lucie
Recipient:	Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County		Contact:		Norman Penner
	607 N 7th St.		Contact Phone:		(561) 460-9918
	Ft. Pierce 34950
Project Description:
Project Outreach would provide the necessary funds for staff and operating expenses to accommodate the 200+ youth on our waiting list in St. Lucie County. By adding children to our existing sites and utilizing the facilities of a local church, we would be able to offer the same degree of nationally acclaimed programs the Boys & Girls Clubs are known for.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County operates 3 neighborhood based Clubhouses and provides before and after care in 11 area elementary schools, serving approximately 700 youth each day. Currently, more than 200 children remain on our waiting list, and we anticipate many more youth will be in need of our services in the near future due to the phenomenal growth of St. Lucie County. The truancy rate in our schools is one in six children. A signicant number of students in our schools are at-risk of failing the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT). There are an average of 311 out-of-school suspensions monthly. Existing and future staff are trained in administering the Boys & Girls Clubs core programs, which have been developed and evaluated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The FCAT improvement curriculum utilized in the schools is now available, in collaboration with the St. Lucie School District, at all Boys & Girls Club sites.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
Children involved in the program to improve FCAT schores will see increases in achievement in math, reading and other subjects, improve the quantity and quality of homework, and increase their changes of scoring above the 25th percentile on the FCAT Norm Referenced Test. It will also increase school attendance rates and improve their behavior in school. SMART Moves is the sole national prevention program that combines problems of alcohol, drug abuse and teen pregnancy and has shown to decrease drug use by 7%, increase understanding of drugs and their effects, and teaches resistance skills. Over 67% of those enrolled in the program will attain a passing grade through the advanced learning system. The Second Step program enables youth to respond empathetically to others, to take others perspectives and decreases impulsive and agrresive behavior in students.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$50,000
Total cost of the project:		$250,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?					Yes
	Cash Amount:	$100,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?					No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?					Yes
	Amount:	$100,000
	Purpose for future year funding:			Recurring Operations
	Will this be an annual request?				Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?					No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?					No
Is there a documented need for this project?					Yes
	Documentation:	The Comprehensive Strategy by St. Lucie County Share Services Network
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?					No