LONG BRANCH — Family & Children’s Service (FCS), Monmouth County’s oldest, private nonprofit social service agency, recently received a $7,000 grant from the Church & Dwight Co. Inc. Employee Giving Fund (EGF) to benefit the agency’s Reading Buddies program.
The intergenerational childhood literacy program serves more than 1,600 students in kindergarten through second grade in 19 Monmouth County public elementary schools.
Dominic Mascola, a senior financial analyst with Church & Dwight Co. Inc. and the son of FCS CFO Anna DeJesus, presented the award to FCS CEO Delly Beekman on behalf of the company.
“We are most grateful for the continued support of Church & Dwight,” Beekman said. “Thanks to the generous contributions of its employees, more children will be able to benefit from our highly successful Reading Buddies program.”
FCS Reading Buddies engages more than 170 senior volunteers in the classroom to improve childhood literacy skills and reading proficiency and cultivates an appreciation of literature among at-risk children.
Reading Buddies has the added benefit of providing meaningful volunteer experiences for seniors through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Volunteers use the knowledge they have acquired during their lives to mentor the children to whom they read and inspire them to learn and engage in a continuing quest for knowledge.
To learn more about FCS and its 14 diverse programs and services focused on the needs of multiple at-risk populations, visit www.fcsmonmouth.org.