logo
Penn State's Summer Discovery program gets $40,000 grant

Penn State's Summer Discovery program gets $40,000 grant

Yahoo14-02-2025
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) – Penn State's Readiness Institute Summer Discovery program is being awarded a $40,000 grant to help keep it up and running.
The grant is coming from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. According to their website, they work 'to empower individuals to become philanthropists, donors to make meaningful change, and caring citizens to build a legacy around their purpose.'
The Summer Discovery program is for high school students entering their senior year. They offer two cohorts, one serving Blair and Bedford County, the other serving Cambria and Somerset County. Each cohort holds 12 students, and it lasts for five weeks. This year, it is from June 23-July 24, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A stingray is coming to State College, here's how you can help name it
Director of Curriculum Innovation at Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 Janel Vancas says the program is for students who do not know which career path they want to pursue, and 'exposing students to the different opportunities within their communities that they didn't really know maybe existed.'
The facilitators, junior facilitators and students are all paid for the experience. A grant like the one from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies helps pay the different expenses.
'We wouldn't be able to run this program without the support of this grant,' Vancas said. 'It's extremely beneficial to the students within our community.'
The application for students is available until March 31, 2025. New to the program is a junior facilitator position, which is open to juniors and seniors in college, preferably studying education.
To apply, visit the Readiness Institute Summer Discovery program's website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pennsylvania ranked top ten ‘most religious states' in new study
Pennsylvania ranked top ten ‘most religious states' in new study

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Pennsylvania ranked top ten ‘most religious states' in new study

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — With more than two-thirds of adults being religiously affiliated nationally, a new study shows that Pennsylvania ranks within the top ten of 'most religious states.' The study, conducted by SmileHub, compared all 50 states based on 13 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of faith and religious support charities per capita to the share of people who pray at least daily. The report also focused on three key dimensions: religious interest and places of worship, religious education and careers and religion-affiliated organizations. Pennsylvania ranked overall in spot 10, with a total score of 52.16. In the aforementioned categories, the Commonwealth ranked: Religious interest and places of worship: 24 Religious education and careers: 10 Religion-affiliated organizations: 7 The top nine spots were secured by Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana and Georgia, respectively. New Hampshire was ranked last, with Maine ranking in 49 and Vermont ranking 48th. Pennsylvania residents predominantly identify as Christians, with 62% of residents reporting they practice the religion from 2023-2024. Other religions reported in the Commonwealth include Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%) and Buddhist (less than 1%). 30% of Pennsylvanians reported being religiously unaffiliated, with 20% identifying as 'nothing in particular,' 5% identifying as Atheist and 5% identifying as Agnostic. Interestingly, in 2014, 73% of Pennsylvania residents identified as Christians, with an even higher number of 82% being logged in 2007. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County celebrates 79th home build
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County celebrates 79th home build

Yahoo

time14-06-2025

  • Yahoo

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County celebrates 79th home build

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new home is ready for move-in after several hours of volunteer work from the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County. The home, located in Centre Hall, is the second of two on the same street and will mark the 79th home partnership by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County. Executive Director Stephanie Fost said 2,252 hours of volunteer work went into finishing this home. The family moving in also volunteered over 350 hours of their own sweat equity into the home. 'For us, we really focus on how we can keep this affordable to build so that we can turn around and then sell it for an affordable price to our homeowner,' Fost said. Cambria County LGBTQ community asks commissioners to recognize Pride Month Fost added that Centre County has a critical need for affordable housing. Many see the prices of homes and are shocked, and many families turn away from buying due to the high costs. 'The availability of those mid-level entry-level homes that existed 10, 20, 30 years ago, just simply don't exist for folks anymore,' Fost said. And the opportunity to move into a home is life-changing for many. 'Those kids said, 'Can we come in?' and it was that moment that I realized these kids had never had a home to come into like this before. They opened that door, burst in, and went running around the house, and they were claiming their bedrooms and all of those things,' Fost said. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County (HFHGCC) is one of 1,000 independent affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). Since launching in the greater Centre County region 40 years ago, HFHGCC has built, renovated, or repaired nearly 80 homes in partnership with qualified homeowners. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County is a nonprofit, nondenominational housing organization. Habitat welcomes all people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or any other difference, to build simple, decent, affordable houses with those who lack adequate shelter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Mini-Park Village opens as educational and career-focused space for kids
Mini-Park Village opens as educational and career-focused space for kids

Yahoo

time12-06-2025

  • Yahoo

Mini-Park Village opens as educational and career-focused space for kids

SOUTH FORK, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new Mini-Park Village that will educate children and help them explore careers is now open in South Fork. The South Fork Public Library, in partnership with the Forest Hills School District, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the opening. 'I'm just so excited to see it come alive again, because this park has sat here empty probably for 10 or 15 years, and it's such a beautiful location. And I told someone that the ironic part of this is that my father designed this park and was part of it being built in the 1970s,' Stacey Lewis, South Fork Library Treasurer, said. The Mini-Park Village is a dynamic educational and career-focused space that was made possible through the 'Building Opportunities Out-of-School Time' (BOOST) Grant awarded to both the School District and the town of South Fork. VA Medical Center celebrates women veterans with ceremony According to the library, the park offers hands-on learning experiences that promote career exploration, civic engagement, and real-world application of academic skills. 'I'm a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, so I know the importance of dramatic play for children. That's how children learn and that's how they develop skills. So in each of the centers, there is a developmental skill, like maybe colors or shapes, and just hands-on activities for children to learn,' Lewis said. Educators, community leaders, and local government also supported this effort. 'So what this mini park is designed to do is really to start planting the seed in our youngest students that, you know, we can start thinking about our careers at a very young age, and there's boundless opportunities. And then in school, we learn what skills they need in order to develop the skills for those careers,' Robert Dill, Assistant Superintendent for Forest Hills School District said. In the winter, the toys and equipment will be moved, and the park will be flooded to create an ice skating rink. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store