News

Cousins Subs gifts $3,500 to 3 charities

The Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation is contributing to advancing communities.

September 17, 2015

The Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation announced it has awarded $3,500 in grants to three Wisconsin-based charities — COA Youth & Family Centers, Wheaton Franciscan — St. Joseph Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay.

The Make It Better Foundation gave a $2,000 grant to COA Youth & Family Centers, a Milwaukee area nonprofit that concentrates on serving children, strengthening families and building communities, according to a company press release. Grant funds will support its Home-based Literacy Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) — an early literacy and school readiness program for preschool children ages 3 to 5. In HIPPY, children develop literacy, motor, cognitive, communication, and social/emotional skills through a 30-week in-home curriculum that is provided by HIPPY Parent Partners, the release stated.

"We are thrilled to partner with Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation for the HIPPY program and deeply appreciate this generous grant support," COA Youth & Family Centers Public Relations Director Christine Sweeney said. "This grant allows COA to provide an internationally-acclaimed, home-based early literacy program for families with preschool-aged youth as well as allows us to equip them with a foundation for academic achievement for the long-term."

A $500 grant to Wheaton Franciscan-St. Joseph Foundation will benefit its Anytime CPR Training (ACT), a curriculum-based program for youth between ages 4 and 18 that educates and prepares participants for emergency situations, the release stated. The goal of the program is to provide youth with the knowledge and understanding of basic first aid skills and willingness to engage in an emergency situation. 

"The grant will provide added opportunity to train more school-age children," ACT Program Coordinator Gloria Singleton-Young said. "The training the students receive will strengthen safety in the community and provide them with skills that will help them in the future."

A $1,000 grant will support the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay’s Teen Cuisine program, a nutrition-education and cooking skill-development program that teaches youth ages 13 to 18 how to prepare healthful snack recipes and provides nutritious foods for youth at-risk of hunger, according to the release.

"This generous contribution from the Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation means that more Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay teens will have hands-on opportunities to develop essential health and life skills through the Teen Cuisine program," Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay Senior Director of Strategy & Communication Johanna Wickland said. "The Teen Cuisine after school cooking club contributes to healthier lifestyles among an estimated 150 teens in the Greater Green Bay area through providing increased access to nutritious snacks, while equipping many with important food preparation and life skills."

Each grant is funded through the Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization established in 2013, the release stated. The Make It Better Foundation aims to improve the general welfare and quality of life in communities in which Cousins Subs has locations, and addresses three areas of interest that are vital to any community: health and wellness, hunger, and youth education.

"We selected these organizations to receive monetary support from our Make It Better Foundation due to their valuable work and devotion to bettering the lives of all in their respective communities," said Justin McCoy, director on Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation board.

Interested nonprofit and community organizations can visit www.cousinssubs.com/foundation to find out more information on eligibility and how to apply.

Cousins Subs and its franchisees operate more than 100 sub sandwich shops throughout Wisconsin and Arizona.