KCSD to receive four-year $5.7 million gang prevention grant
July 9, 2009

Kershaw County School District officials and other community leaders today announced the receipt of a federal four-year $5.7 million gang prevention grant, the result of a collaborative effort among hundreds of community leaders after a local teen was killed in a gang-related shooting in Dec. of 2007.

“This is a proud day for our community,” said Kershaw County School District Superintendent Frank Morgan. “It shows how we worked together to respond to a challenge and turn a tragedy into something positive.”

Morgan said the focus for the use of the funds—provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grants program—will be on preventive efforts. “We want to build a foundation to nurture and protect our youth,” he said.

Specifically, the grant will provide:

• academic and truancy intervention services,
• support specialists,
• 104 digital security cameras on school buses,
• a K-12 anti-drug curriculum,
• two school resource officers,
• four after-school programs,
• mental health counseling,
• JEEP program (life skills and job support for at-risk youth)
• youth court support services, and
• a structured evaluation for all grant components.

Morgan said one of the great aspects of the grant award is that it reinstates programs such as JEEP that had to be eliminated due to state budget cuts. “There is a great need for these services so I’m glad to see that we will be able to continue these efforts.”

Development of the grant involved persons from the school district, Alpha Center, city and county government, law enforcement, community organizations, civic groups, churches, social services, health-related groups, human services organizations and mental health agencies.

Morgan said that Alpha Center Executive Director Paul Napper played an instrumental role in raising funds for the grant application. Financial support to defray the costs of writing the grant was provided by the City of Camden, Kershaw County, United Way of Kershaw County, Communities In Schools and former Camden Mayor Mary Clark. Students from Camden also sponsored a lollipop fundraiser and took up a collection at a local step show to collect money for the process.

One of the first steps in administering the grant will be to hire a project coordinator in the next 60 days.

For more information: Mary Anne Byrd, (803) 432-8416 ext. 1229