PHILLIPS, PRUDETIAL HELP LAUNCH 'RAINBOWS'

Allen Phillips knows what the Rainbows program can mean to a child.

His wife Alita has administered the program before at Jackson's West Lane Elementary. She saw the program -- aimed at helping children who have suffered the loss of a parent or sibling or other significant loss -- make the difficult adjustments required. When the opportunity came to back the program, Phillips was first in line.

"What with the shootings at Columbine and other places, it just disturbed me that we have nobody to listen to these kids," Phillips said, after presenting a $2,000 check to South Elementary.

Phillips, branch manager of the Cape Girardeau Prudential Individual Financial Services office, had actually made his own $1,000 donation last fall. That donation allowed the Jackson Middle School to launch the program.

Phillips' donation was part of a matching gift program Prudential has with its employees. The Prudential check for $1,000 arrived in time for South Elementary to launch its own Rainbows program this spring. Currently West Lane and Orchard are also conducting the program.

"It helps kids deal with a loss," said Counselor Becky Peters. "It helps kids make contact with others, going through the same thing."

Part of the program includes training parents and other volunteers to work with suffering children. Now that the Rainbows kits have been purchased, the program can continue indefinitely.