St. Marks Youth Philanthropic Guild Supports Mentoring Initiative

We, at Breakthrough Options For Families, Inc. a local nonprofit organization serving single parent families in poverty, is pleased to announce that the Youth Philanthropic Guild of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in New Canaan has awarded us the second half of a $2,500.00 grant. The first half of the grant was used for critical emergency services and needs, 4 background checks, as well as 6 group mentoring sessions and 6 one-on-one mentoring sessions by volunteers and Norwalk Community College Human Services interns. These mentoring sessions are recreational, with an academic component built into them. Interventions routinely used by our agency are mentorship, advocacy, parent education, and literacy based enrichment. In the current dire economic climate with a growing demand for social services, the goal of Breakthrough Options for Families is to expand our scope in order to provide help to more families in the greater Norwalk area. We are ever so thankful for the Youth Philanthropic Guild for their continued support and encouragement. Breakthrough trained professionals will continue to work hand in hand with St. Mark's youth to enhance services as well as provide them with direct exposure to the economically disadvantaged. Such collaboration is the key to creating a broader safety net for those impacted by and suffering from the vast cutbacks in human services. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, we cannot thank you enough for making a difference in the lives of our children of single parents in poverty! We are still in need of help to expand our program and serve more single parent families in poverty in the greater Norwalk area. We need one small office room with a waiting area included to protect confidentiality, as well as a company vehicle donated to us. Ongoing basic need items like food and sanitary supplies are needed as well. Please visit our website at www.boffusa.org to find out how you can help! Other organizations that support our mission include BMW of Darien, The Sono Field House, Diamond Deli, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, St. Aloyisius Church. Akisha Cassermere, A.A. Human Services Pat Nivakoff Altman, LCSW President/CEO Vice President & Clinical Director