Heritage Community Initiatives Prepares to Serve Hundreds of Children and Thousands of Meals this Summer
NFL Player and Braddock Native Steven Breaston Steps Up to Lend Support
BRADDOCK, PA; June 23, 2014 – While the nearly 200 students enrolled at Heritage Community Initiatives education programs will continue to enjoy nutritious meals throughout the summer, the organization realized that hundreds of children in their hometown of Braddock needed access to lunch normally provided during the school year. In keeping with their commitment to service, Heritage offered to provide summer nutrition to young people participating in the Braddock Borough Summer Playground Program as well as to Braddock families who want to insure their children have a nutritious lunch. And thanks to Steven Breaston, NFL player and Braddock native, Heritage is able to make this program a reality.
"The Steven Breaston Foundation proudly supports the Heritage Summer Nutrition program and is thankful to be a part of it, because we all benefited from a similar program as kids.” says Steven Breaston, the foundation’s founder “ We find this is an essential way to give back to our community in areas other than athletics. As kids, it relieved our parents of some of the burden of worrying about whether we ate in the afternoons in the summer.” In conjunction with the Summer Food Service Program, this Heritage Summer Initiative will be provided at no cost to local families, Monday through Friday from June 23 – August 22.
In addition to Summer Nutrition, Heritage Community Initiatives is also proud to assist the Make A Splash swimming program of the Woodland Hills Aquatic Team. The fatal drowning rate of African American children ages 5 to 14 is almost three times that of the balance of the population in the same age range (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); 73% of the population of Braddock Borough is African American with 21% in the 5-14 age group (Census Viewer). Heritage Community Transportation will facilitate transportation for children registered in the swimming program – including nearly 100 students at Heritage’s 4 Kids Early Learning Center and HOST (Heritage Out of School Time Program). The swimming program, whose goal is to teach young people to swim safely, runs from June 30 – July 31.
Heritage Community Initiatives
Heritage Community Initiatives is a nonprofit organization that has been serving individuals and families facing socioeconomic challenges for over thirty years. The organization’s program offerings – driven by need, pragmatism and impact – fall into three main areas of focus: Education, Transportation, and Life Enhancing Initiatives. Based in Braddock, Pennsylvania, Heritage Community Initiatives serves thousands of families in twenty communities within Allegheny County. www.heritageserves.org.
The Steven Breaston Foundation
The Steve Breaston Foundation is a 501©3 nonprofit organization that offers programs designed for at-risk and disadvantaged youth. Their emphasis on areas related to literacy, creativity, self-esteem and communication skills encourages youth to focus on reaching their goals despite potential barriers they may face. The Steve Breaston Foundation was created to make a difference, build a bridge and be a resource for youth across the country.
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