Grant will help work with at-risk Hmong teens
0ST. PAUL (Oct. 30, 2012) — St. Paul-based HAP (Hmong American Partnership) is the recipient of a $13,000 grant from the Comcast Foundation.
The grant will support HAP’s Project GROW program, which helps at-risk Hmong teens become leaders in their community as they prepare to graduate from high school, pursue post-secondary education/training and enter the workforce.
Hmong teens today live in a complex multi-cultural environment, and they often face multiple barriers in their pursuit of higher education and employment. Project GROW is a creative program that helps students engage in a year-long service learning program to give them hands-on experience of setting and achieving goals. Developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Project GROW focuses on agriculture, the environment and conservation.
Each student is connected to a professional adult who works in agriculture or conservation to provide mentoring. HAP also works with the USDA to connect students to internships at USDA or similar organizations.
“Through a focus on education, life skills and leadership, Project GROW is helping to build an educated, inspired, diverse group of Hmong youth leaders,” said Dr. Mai Moua, HAP’s acting chief operating officer. “With support and encouragement, these youth will soon transform the workforce that supports our local economy and make a significant, positive impact on the health and well-being of our Twin Cities community.”
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities — promoting community service, expanding digital literacy and building tomorrow‘s leaders.
Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $90 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.
