Your generous donations made it possible for the Toledo Rotary Club Foundation to award a grant in the amount of $10,000 to Historic South Initiative:

The $10,000 grant funded the After-School and Summer Education Program at Saints Peter & Paul Church. This is an academic supplemental-education program situated in the only Hispanic Catholic Parish in Toledo. When the program was started in 2015, there were 20 children enrolled. This year there are 50 children with a waiting list. The summer program includes an additional 50 children. Daily attendance (five days a week) is required during the school year and the summer.

The purpose of the program is to help the children with homework, math, language arts, self-discipline and character development. Many of the children’s parents speak only Spanish. As a result, there is a great need for academic help. In the summer, there is a weekly field trip exposing the children to a variety of venues.

They are committed to developing a strong academic foundation for these children. Experience has shown that if a child gets on the right track early in their grade school years, they have a very good chance of becoming a contributing adult.

The staff includes a Director and five Team Leaders. Group sizes are kept small (8-10) so the children get individual attention. They have a group of adult volunteers who work with the children on a one-to-one basis.

Parent Nights are held on a monthly basis to provide updates and deal with specific concerns the parents may have. These events allow them to engage the parents in the educational process. Since several of the staff are bi-lingual, this is an opportunity to educate the parents on how to help their children with their school work.