The $7,500 given to Say Yes to Education during last Monday’s Syracuse Common Council meeting will go toward purchasing supplies for the summer program, in which Syracuse University students are involved.

The money comes after Say Yes avoided losing a $400,000 grant due to state budget cuts. The majority of the money will be spent purchasing supplies for art, music, dance, sports and drama activities, said Pat Driscoll, director of operations for Syracuse Say Yes.

A member of the Common Council could not be reached for comment.

Say Yes is a nonprofit organization that works to academically and financially support students from urban schools. The summer program runs from July 7 to 28 and is offered to these students free of charge, Driscoll said.

SU is involved with the Say Yes program and is a key component to the summer program, as many of the summer camp staff members are SU students, Driscoll said.

‘The students will work in the classroom with Syracuse City School District teachers to provide academic support and provide enrichment types of programs, too,’ Driscoll said.

Students at the summer camp will focus on academics, such as reading, writing or arithmetic, each morning. In the afternoon, the students will participate in enrichment programs, such as swimming, dancing or guitar, Driscoll said. Staff members for the program go through training and preparation two weeks before it begins.

Driscoll said he feels the summer program is important for the students involved in Say Yes.

‘Having students engaged during the summertime, having them be part of a summer program that combines academic and enrichment programs is an added bonus,’ he said.

Last year 1,800 students signed up for the program, and this year’s goal is to sign up 3,600, Driscoll said.

The Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs is currently looking to hire 15 additional aides for the summer program, Driscoll said. The aides could be anyone with experience working with children or in the city school district, he said.

At the end of February, before the New York state budget passed, it was unclear whether or not the budget cuts would affect the way Say Yes operates. Say Yes was in jeopardy of losing a $400,000 grant that had already been given to the program, and it was unclear how or if that would affect SU’s relationship with Say Yes.

But Driscoll said the cuts have not changed anything between Say Yes and SU, and that Say Yes was able to keep its grant.

‘Syracuse University is a very valuable invested partner in this whole mission,’ Driscoll said. ‘Say Yes is certainly lucky to have a major university with a reputation like SU’s to be a part of this.’

snbouvia@syr.edu

Published on April 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephanie: snbouvia@syr.edu | @snbouvia