Grant to expand Cape-area reading program will be $107,900

The amount of grant funding the United Way of Southeast Missouri will receive to expand a volunteer-run reading improvement program in area schools this fall was announced Thursday by the Missouri Community Service Commission.

Read to Succeed began in Blanchard and Alma Schrader elementary schools in recent years and will be added to Clippard, Franklin elementary schools, as well as Gordonville Attendance Center during the coming school year. The United Way will receive a $107,900 AmeriCorps grant to fund expansion.

AmeriCorps is a national service program that promotes engagement of communities in service to meet local needs. It provides grant opportunities for initiatives and programs that strengthen education, foster economic opportunity, prepare for and respond to disasters, improve health, meet environmental and energy efficiency needs, and assist veterans and military families, according to a news release from the commission.

The United Way is among 18 Missouri organizations that will receive 2012 grant funding.

Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the United Way, said the grant will allow Read to Succeed to expand by providing funds for hiring program coordinators, paying some small stipends for regular tutors and buying supplies.

Pertinent address:

430 Broadway, Suite A, Cape Girardeau, MO