The Community First Cares Foundation – the nonprofit philanthropic arm of Community First Credit Union – has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Monique Burr Foundation Children (MBF). The grant will fund the development and piloting of MBF’s latest prevention education program, MBF Teen Safety Matters®, which will provide the curriculum to high school students in the First Coast.
“The Community First Cares Foundation’s partnership has been vital in helping us develop and pilot MBF Teen Safety Matters®,” said Lynn Layton, President and CEO of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. “Because of Community First Cares Foundation’s generosity in the past, MBF was able to expand our programming for middle school students – and to date, have reached 74,000 middle school students in Northeast Florida. The current funds will allow us to continue that expansion into high schools, thus allowing us to reach even more students in all grades, K-12, with critical safety information.”
MBF Teen Safety Matters® is a comprehensive, evidence-informed prevention education program that educates and empowers teens and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, the four types of child abuse, relationship abuse, sex trafficking, digital abuse, and other digital dangers.
“The program was developed with schools, not for schools, to make the best use of existing resources and ensure schools have effective programs that are easy to implement,” said Layton.
Funding from the grant will aid in the development of the program for high school students, as well as to implement the program at pilot sites, and to solicit facilitator feedback to refine and finalize the curriculum lessons – all in an effort to reach even more students.
“The Monique Burr Foundation for Children is a shining force in our community,” said Missy Peters, executive director of the Community First Cares Foundation. “By working together we can provide high school students with important tools designed to help keep them safe, healthy, and ready to learn.”
