A three-year grant totaling $243,000 was recently awarded by The Florence M. Muller Foundation to Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection (HW-SC), Hillside’s nationally recognized youth development program. With the grant of $81,000 per year, HW-SC will be able to support 27 students as they navigate their high school years and work toward their goals of graduation, college and career.
Established in 2004, The Florence M. Muller Foundation derives its mission from the principles of its founder, a Rochester native who believed passionately in the importance of education as a fundamental element in a successful life. Mrs. Muller, a longtime supporter and Board member of Hillside, died in 2016.
With this grant, “the Foundation is proud to build on the strong relationship that our founder began with Hillside,” said Patricia K. Leo, Executive Director, The Florence M. Muller Foundation. “We believe, as Florence Muller did, that education has the ability to change a life course and are delighted to play a small role in the life-changing work at HWSC.”
HW-SC’s program model delivers coordinated academic support, job-readiness training and youth-development services to youth whose scholastic and socioeconomic circumstances places them at a heightened risk of dropping out of school. Over more than 30 years, the program has helped more than 6,000 at-risk students graduate on time from their home districts.
“We are extremely grateful to The Florence M. Muller Foundation for their support,” said Erin Mathis, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations of Hillside. “Our generous community partners help Hillside build stronger communities where youth and families can lead healthier, happier lives.”