June 24, 2014
By Stephanie West
Tampa, Florida – AMIkids, Inc., a Tampa-based non-profit operating youth development programs across the country, has been awarded a $5 Million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Face Forward Initiative. The grant will provide career training for at-risk youth served by the organization's 40 programs in seven states.
The Face Forward Initiative provides funding for community service organizations to provide employment, training and support services to successfully re-integrate formerly incarcerated adults and youth involved in the juvenile justice system into their communities. Twenty-one grants, totaling more than $44 million, are being awarded for the second round of the Face Forward initiative, which combines the most promising workforce and juvenile justice strategies available to improve participants' chances of success. AMIkids is one of only four organizations across the nation awarded $5 Million in the distributions.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for AMIkids and the children and families we serve," said Mark J. Criser, National Board Chairman of AMIkids. He continued, "This grant will enable the AMIkids organization to implement career vocational programming, a key component for the success of our kids. Helping our students earn industry-recognized certifications will give them a leg-up in an already competitive workforce and put them one step closer to transforming their lives."
AMIkids Community-Based Day Treatment Services were cited as a "promising model" on CrimeSolutions.gov, a resource site for the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Most recently, AMIkids was recommended for national education accreditation from an AdvancED external review team. Founded in 1969, AMIkids, Inc. is a nationally recognized not-for-profit that offers a promising future to kids through motivating programs, education, counseling and behavior modification services.
