YMCA CEO Mike Lachance receives a $10,000 Community Impact Grant check from Earl Prolman, an agent associated with New York Life’s New Hampshire General Office that will support the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Power Scholars Academy program, a summer academic instruction program offered to Nashua public school students.

NASHUA – The YMCA of Greater announced recently that it was awarded a $10,000 Community Impact Grant from New York Life. This grant will support the YMCA’s Power Scholars Academy, an academic instruction in literacy and math summer program offered to students in the Nashua public school system.

“We are grateful for New York Life’s investment in our YMCA’s Power Scholars Academy, which will change many lives for the better,” said YMCA CEO Mike LaChance. “Studies show that low-income students typically lose an average of two-and-a-half to three months of learning each summer due to lack of reading and educational opportunities. This annual summer learning loss is cumulative over their school career. Support from New York Life allows us to help hundreds of children in Nashua combat summer learning loss and be well prepared to learn and thrive in school.”

Power Scholars Academy combines academic instruction in literacy and math, enrichment activities, STEM learning opportunities and field trips over the course of 5-weeks each summer. The goal of the program is to help close the achievement gap between higher income and lower income students. In addition to addressing academic progress, Power Scholars Academy is designed to increase student’s confidence, social-emotional skills, and school engagement. PSA is free to all attendees and breakfast, lunch and transportation are provided to address food insecurity over the summer and barriers to attendance. In pre- and post-testing, this program has proven to help under-performing at-risk youth gain ground in reading, writing, STEM and math, as well as foster physical, social and emotional growth.

“I’m proud to work for a company that encourages its agents and employees to devote their time, energy and talents to support the needs and priorities of their local community,” said Earl Prolman, an agent associated with New York Life’s New Hampshire General Office. “We are pleased that our partnership will have a long-lasting impact on the YMCA and the children and families that they serve.”

The Community Impact Grant program awards grants of up to $25,000 to local nonprofit organizations, which are championed by New York Life agents and employees. Since the program’s inception in 2008, nearly 750 grants totaling more than $10 million have been awarded to nonprofits across the country.

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