REB Receives Grant from PeoplesBank to Support Talk/Read/Succeed

SPRINGFIELD — The Regional Employment Board of Hampden County (REB) received a $2,500 grant award from PeoplesBank to support the work of the Talk/Read/ Succeed (TRS) program.

Talk/Read/Succeed is a place-based holistic program and currently serves 150 low- to moderate-income families at two Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) developments in Springfield. The goal of TRS is to have all children enter kindergarten ready to learn and go on to read proficiently by fourth grade.

The $2,500 grant award is part of PeoplesBank’s Community Care Program and will be used to support parent-education programs at the SHA sites that will focus on how to support children in reaching critical developmental milestones, family health and wellness, adult education and career exploration, and financial literacy.

In announcing the award, Susan Wilson, first vice president of PeoplesBank, indicated that, “at Peoples Bank, we welcome the opportunity to help others. As part of your community, we take an active interest in supporting programs that promote academic excellence for our youth.”

David Cruise, REB president and CEO, noted that “this award from PeoplesBank allows the REB and its partners to strengthen our parenting-education and school-engagement programming to support parents as active partners in our work to accelerate student achievement.”

Added William Abrashkin, executive director of the SHA, added that “building community support is vital to the success of Talk/Read/Succeed and its families and children. In particular, it is so important that PeoplesBank, a key member of the business community, has chosen to provide its support. We all know that, without an educated workforce, businesses cannot grow and create wealth, and the most effective way to create an educated workforce is to reach families when their children are very young to help ensure that the children are brought up with positive values, including a love of reading, learning, and achievement. That is what TRS is all about, making this a win-win for both the business community and the families we serve.”