Charity for Change has received a $10,000 grant from Suncoast Credit Union for improving emotional well-being and academic performance for at-risk students through its social-emotional learning (SEL) program for elementary students. The program’s goal is to improve the emotional well-being and academic performance for at-risk students and engage a minimum of 300 additional at-risk children in the communities served by Suncoast Credit Union.
“We are honored to fund this grant supporting the emotional wellness and academic performance for at-risk children. Helping to improve the lives of people in the communities we serve drives everything we do here at Suncoast Credit Union,” said Cindy Helton, executive director of Suncoast Credit Union.
Naples-based educational nonprofit Charity for Change is expanding its social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum to meet the growing demand for its program.
The enhanced program includes scientifically proven methods of teaching SEL, including four teaching modalities. The proprietary curriculum seamlessly blends character education, community involvement, charitable activities and giving, with standards-based math and language arts in a cooperative learning environment.
“We are grateful that the mission of the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation is to promote the education, health and emotional well-being of children in our communities,” said Karen Conley, founder and CEO for Charity for Change. “This has been the core of our evidence-based SEL curriculum with a 15-year record of accomplishment, serving more than 90,000 elementary school age children. Decades of research show that building social-emotional learning skills in elementary school allows children to overcome barriers and develop pro-social behaviors leading to emotional well-being and academic success.”
For information on how to create change by supporting the program, visit charityforchange.org.
About Charity for Change
Founded in 2008, Charity for Change brings children together to see past their differences and work together for others in need to prevent bullying and violence and instill empathy and a giving spirit. Through character education and charitable activities, the organization serves children through its afterschool, summer school, preschool, and in-school programs. Since 2008, the program has impacted 90,000 children, instilling nine character traits and raising $150,000 for 100 area charities. The goal of Charity for Change is to cultivate confident, compassionate children who become successful learners, contribute to their schools and communities, and who will participate in society as empathetic, resilient, ethical and self-reliant citizens. For more information about Charity for Change, please visit www.charityforchange.org or call 239-592-6787.
About the Suncoast Credit Union
Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 10th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $14.9 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 75 full-service branches and serves more than one million members in 40 counties across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $36 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoastcreditunion.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
