SOMERVILLE – The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded $85,500 in the 2013 Municipal Youth Services Commission (MYSC) grant program to youth services commissions representing all 21 Somerset County municipalities. Ceremonial checks were presented to grant recipients at several freeholders’ meetings. 

  In addition to the $5,000 annual grant funding that is given to each Municipal Youth Service Commission, the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders allocates $5,500 of the $85,500 in available funding for competitive grants.

Fourteen municipal youth services commissions received funding for a total of 36 projects.

“The Board of Freeholders is pleased to present funding for so many worthwhile, fun and educational programs for county youth,” said Freeholder Director Patrick Scaglione.  “Funds will be used to support a wide variety of prevention programs for youth in these local communities.”

Grant awards in the amount of $5,000 were presented to the Bernards Municipal Youth Services Commission for the Project Adventure Peer Leaders project; Branchburg Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Teen Nights, STOP and Willow Tree program; Bridgewater/Raritan Municipal Youth Services Commission for its NewComers Club; Franklin Township Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Youth Council, Franklin Youth Prevention and Empowerment program, and Boys Council; and to Green Brook for its H.I.S. (Health in Steps), Get Into Our Game, Odyssey of the Mind and Challenge Day programs.

Additionally, Hillsborough/Millstone Municipal Youth Services Commission received funding for its I Run and Project Teen Zone programs; Manville Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Girls on Track, Weston Summer Camp, ABIS Summer Camp and Open Gym Nights programs; Montgomery/Rocky Hill Municipal Youth Services Commission for Girls on the Run (GOTR), Kids on the Move and Peer Leadership Training and Development programs; North Plainfield for its Green Dot, GOTR and Summer Teen Evening Program (STEP) Picnic; Somerville Municipal Youth Services Commission for its GOTR program and Promoting Partnerships; Warren Township Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Challenge Day and Weekend Family programs; and Watchung Municipal Youth Services Commission for its GOTR/ Girls on Track programs.

Also, Bound Brook/South Bound Brook Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded $10,000 for its Middle Earth Community Youth Center, Hispanic Counseling Group, Character Education and Girls on the Run programs as was Somerset Hills Municipal Youth Services Commission for its Character Education, Youth Summit, Girls on the Run and Quest programs.

In addition, a $2,500 competitive grant was awarded to Bound Brook/South Bound Brook Youth Services Commission for its Lunch-Time Mentor program.  Hillsborough/Millstone Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded a $1,850 competitive grant for its Video Production Camp and Somerset Hills Municipal Youth Services Commission was awarded $1,150 for the Bernardsville Girls on the Move program.

Somerset Hills represents the towns of Far Hills, Peapack/ Gladstone, Bedminster and Bernardsville.

For more information about the Somerset County Municipal Youth Services Commission grants program, contact Cindy Britt at 908-704-6352 or britt@co.somerset.nj.us.

To view a photo gallery of the presentations, visit http://bit.ly/MYSCPhoto