Franklin Community Center Receives Funding for Project Lift

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Franklin Community Center was recently awarded several grants in support of its Project Lift program; $500 from the Town of Greenfield Lions Club, $3,000 from the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs, $5,000 from the Stewart’s Holiday Match, $9,000 from The Christopher Dailey Foundation and $14,000 from The Hawley Foundation for Children. Project Lift, created in 1984 as a free after school program, addresses the growing need for youth to have prevention-based conversations as well as the opportunity to enhance their social and emotional skills. The funding assistance will support the impactful program as well as provide for the ancillary services offered to the Project Lift students and their families.

Thanks to Franklin Community Center’s long-standing grant support, the students who attend the after-school program are able to benefit from the Back to School Backpack program, Holiday Assistance, Food Assistance and Camp Assistance. 

Project Lift works directly with students in grades 1st to 6th in the Saratoga Springs City School District. The program serves up to 175 children and their siblings in all 6 elementary schools and the middle school, with support to the students’ families. Services include Camp Assistance, which offers scholarships for Project Lift participants to attend summer camp. The goal is to offer students a place where they may learn about and better understand themselves in a safe, supportive, and relaxed natural environment. Providing camp opportunities to children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds helps the students to constructively learn independence and safe risk-taking, build relationships with peers and reap the benefits of connecting with nature. Community members interested in learning more about supporting the program and the services provided, can find more information at www.franklincommunitycenter.org.