Grant to fund Bloomington YouthBuild jobs program

Posted on July 5, 2015

Bloomington City Hall — *Bloomington will use a new grant to fund its summer jobs program for at-risk youth. (WJBC file photo)*

By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington has received a $20,000 grant from Curative Health Cultivation, which will be put towards funding the city’s YouthBuild summer jobs program.

Mayor Tari Renner said the program provides jobs to at-risk youth who might have had an issue with the law in the past.

“This is, frankly, something that you see throughout the country. When I go to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I was there last week, mayors throughout the country are concerned about at-risk youth.” said Renner. “One of the best ways to make sure that they become productive citizens is to give them a job, give them a paycheck, and make them become productive.”

13 of the city’s youth will be put to work thanks to this grant.

“The teenage years are really critical years. If you can get the kids and show them that there is a value to work, and put them to work, have them get a paycheck, (they) are less likely to get into trouble in the future,” Renner said.

Renner added without this grant, the program would not be possible.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].

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