Thanks to an agreement between Onondaga County and the town of Cicero, teens in the North Syracuse area will still have a place to go after school.
The County Legislature passed a resolution last month authorizing County Executive Joanie Mahoney to enter into an agreement with Cicero to help fund the CanTeen, a teen center on Route 11 that provides a haven for teens in the North Syracuse school district. The center found itself at risk of closing late last year due to state budget cuts and has been fundraising prodigiously ever since.
The CanTeen offers a daily drop-in center with games, homework help and more for kids ages 13 to 19 during non-school hours. Many of the kids who take advantage of the program are designated as at-risk because they are not involved in other extracurricular activities, are economically disadvantaged and have social and/or academic issues.
The county has been providing money to the CanTeen for three years, according to Jody Rogers, head of the Parks, Recreation and Youth Bureau for the town of Cicero.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Legislature Chairman Bill Meyer (R-Cicero) and Legislator Sam Laguzza (D-Syracuse), authorizes the county to provide the center with a total of $48,505 over the next five years.
Of that money, approximately $39,000 comes from a COPS grant through the Department of Social Services.
“That’s a matching grant where we have to raise a certain amount of money through our Friends group in order for the department to provide funding,” Rogers said. “We’re lucky to have that 501(c)3 group, which raises non-taxpayer money to help support us, and that allows us to get that money.”
The rest, about $9,500, comes from the Syracuse Onondaga County Youth Bureau, which awards money based on requests for proposals.
“We put in an RFP three years ago asking for $10,000, and they gave us $9,600 a year,” Rogers said. “It was reduced this year because there was less money available.”
Rogers said the CanTeen will have to put in a new RFP after next year.
Meyer said the legislature was happy to fund the program.
“This has been a successful model, and they have a successful track record,” Meyer said. “This is such a high priority, such a highly recognized program, that when we did find a couple of extra dollars, we wanted to make sure it got diverted. They work. It’s that simple.”
“Our county legislators – William Meyer, Casey Jordan, Kathy Rapp and Bernie Kraft – were instrumental,” Rogers said. “They kept this in front of the legislature and got us the money we needed.”
Sep
11
County to help fund CanTeen
Sarah Hall 09/11/09
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: CanTeen, county, funding
TAGS: CanTeen, county, funding