SOMERVILLE – The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded a total $90,000 in the 2014 Municipal Youth Services Commission (MYSC) grant program to youth services commissions representing all 21 Somerset County municipalities. Ceremonial checks were presented to grant recipients at two freeholders’ meetings.
In addition to the $5,000 annual grant funding that is given to each Municipal Youth Service Commission, the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders allocated $10,000 of the $90,000 in available funding for competitive grants, which are awarded in a separate application process. Both the annual and competitive grant awards are open exclusively to the municipal youth service commissions. All twenty-one municipalities are represented on the various municipal commissions and the annual grant provides $5000 to each Somerset County municipality that has a K-8 school district. Commissions that represent more than one municipality include the Bound Brook/South Bound Brook MYSC, the Bridgewater/Raritan MYSC, the Hillsborough/Millstone MYSC, the Montgomery/Rocky Hill MYSC and the Somerset Hills MYSC, which includes Bedminster, Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone.
Fourteen municipal youth services commissions received funding for a total of 44 projects.
“The Board of Freeholders is pleased to present funding for so many worthwhile, fun and educational programs for county youth,” said Freeholder Director Mark Caliguire. “Funds will be used to support a wide variety of prevention programs for youth in these local communities.”
Grant awards in the amount of $5,000 were presented to the Bernards Municipal Youth Services Commission for the Project Adventure Peer Leaders program; Branchburg Municipal Youth Services Commission for its STOP and Girls on the Run programs; Bridgewater/Raritan Municipal Youth Services Commission for its New Comers Club and Girls on the Run programs; Franklin Township Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Youth Council, Franklin Youth Prevention and Empowerment Program, and Boys Council program; and to Green Brook for its H.I.S. (Health in Steps), Girls Circle and Challenge Day programs.
Additionally, Hillsborough/Millstone Municipal Youth Services Commission received funding for its I Run and Teen Zone programs; Manville Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Girls on Track, Weston Summer Camp, ABIS Summer Camp, Open Gym Nights and Theater Week programs; Montgomery/Rocky Hill Municipal Youth Services Commission for Girls on the Run (GOTR), Kids on the Move and Peer Leadership Training and Development programs; North Plainfield for its Lunch-Time Mentors and Girls on the Run programs; Somerville Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Girls on the Run, Winning Wednesdays and Promoting Partnerships program; Warren Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Challenge Day, Student Leadership and Lunch-time Mentors programs; and Watchung Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Girls on the Run/Girls on Track program.
Also, Bound Brook/South Bound Brook Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded $10,000 for its Middle Earth Community Youth Center, Hispanic Counseling Group, Character Education and Girls on the Run programs as was Somerset Hills Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Character Education, Youth Summit, Girls on the Run and Quest programs.
In addition, $3,500 of competitive grant money was awarded to Bound Brook/South Bound Brook Youth Services Commission for its Support through Additional Resources (STAR) and Council for Boys programs. Bridgewater/Raritan Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded $2,000 for its Big Top Bridgewater program. Hillsborough/Millstone Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded a $2,000 competitive grant for its program entitled “The Rock Project” and North Plainfield Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded $2,500 for the Council on Boys and Young Men program.
For more information about the Somerset County Municipal Youth Services Commission grants program, contact Cindy Britt at 908-704-6352 or britt@co.somerset.nj.us.
To view a photo gallery of the presentations, visit http://bit.ly/2014MYSCAwards.