CASA Director Fonda Green accepts grant from MEEMIC representative Tim Custer

The Meemic Foundation, a non-profit organization created by Michigan-based Meemic Insurance Company has presented a $2,300 grant to the Children’s After School Achievement (CASA) program a Hope College.

The Foundation has been offering financial assistance in the form of grants to schools and educators since 1992.  During that time, the Foundation has touched more than 1.5 million students through its financial support of education initiatives.

The Foundation funds innovative programs, events or projects that will significantly enhance students’ classroom experiences.

“The goal of Meemic Foundation grants is to provide the resources necessary for teachers to create a dynamic learning environment for students,” said Pamela Harlin, Director of The Meemic Foundation.  “Exceptional educators are always looking for new and creative ways to inspire their students.  We want to make sure that financial concerns don’t stand in the way of those ideas.”

CASA, a community organization housed at Hope College, provides academic and cultural enrichment for at-risk first-through fifth-grade students.  The program, which runs year-round, is intended to improve the student’s academic performance by providing the tools they need to succeed in school

During the school year, the students meet after school twice per week in one-on-one sessions with volunteer tutors, most of whom are Hope students.

The academic-year and summer programs serve Holland and West Ottawa students.  A total of 145 elementary-age students participated in CASA during the 2001-12 year.

During the summer session, CASA runs five classes, each led by a certified teacher and assistant four mornings a week, providing a mixture of academic work as well as enrichment programs such as participation inn service projects, attending presentations by the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre Children’s Performance Troupe and the Herrick District Library Reading Club.

CASA was established in 1987 by Marge Rivera Bermann and Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) and originally housed at First United Methodist Church.  CASA moved to Hope College in 1989, and has its offices and summer classes in Graves Hall and its school-year activities in classrooms in Lubbers Hall.