AKWESASNE – The Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club is the beneficiary of more that $113,000 from three recent funding announcements.

The club,. at 37 Rooseveltown Rd., is receiving $39,000 from the Alcoa Foundation for a program called Be Great: Graduate, developed by Boys and Girls Clubs of America to monitor participants’ grade progression and school performance.

The grant provides funds to hire two tutors for the club’s afterschool program, to assist club members with homework and help them meet educational goals.

Plans are being developed to also host a tutoring session after club hours for additional educational help to community youth in need.

The grant also supplies computers in the tech center and tablets in classrooms for daily homework and reading assignments.

In addition to the foundation grant, Alcoa employees volunteered to clean up the exterior of ABGC’s building. Alcoa’s Massena Operations recommended that the club submit a proposal for the education grant.

The club also has been awarded $33,750 to continue its T.R.A.I.L diabetes prevention program.

The renewal of grant funding – at nearly twice the $18,000 the Akwesasne club got last year for the program – comes by way of a partnership between the Indian Health Service, the National Congress of the American Indian, Boys and Girls Club of America, and Nike Inc., aimed at reducing the onset of diabetes among Native American youth.

T.R.A.I.L. (Together Raising Awareness for Indian Life) is geared to providing diabetes prevention education to the youth ABGC serves.

According to Indian Health Service one in three Native Americans born in 2000 will likely be diagnosed with type two diabetes in their lifetimes.

The program presents four themes:

• about me and my health

• diabetes and nutrition

• making smart food choices

• sharing knowledge with others.

“With diabetes being an important issue our people face, receiving this grant empowers our staff to provide necessary education to the youth we serve and encourages living healthy lifestyles for all,” said club executive director Jessica Cree Jock.

The program will also provide outreach to club parents through education and cooking sessions with youth.

And with $41,000 received in July, the club has renovated their clubhouse.

Through a partnership betweens Boys and Girls Club of America and the Lowe’s Charitable and Education Foundation, the renovation included a new playground set. That was dedicated this past Thursday.

For more information on the Akwesasne Grils and Boys Club, visit http://www.myabgc.com/.