Assemblyman Tom Alfano announced that he has been able to obtain $35,500 in additional grant funding for the Floral Park, Bellerose Village and Bellerose Terrace communities. The funding has been earmarked for youth development programs, SMARTBoards for schools and wellness sporting activities.

The monies, according to Assemblyman Alfano, will help improve quality of life for families and invest in the development, wellness and education of children. The grants also come on the heels of $20,000 in funding the assemblyman was able to channel to Floral Park Memorial High School for musical instruments, piano reconditioning, mentors program and the model congress.

"These grants invest in our children and give them the tools they need to be a success. This funding is targeted to our schools, wellness, athletics, new technologies and mentoring programs. I couldn't be more proud to deliver this funding and help the community," Assemblyman Alfano said.

Assemblyman Alfano has attained funding for the following groups and organizations: Floral Park Bellerose School District ($10,500); Floral Park Indian Soccer ($10,000); Floral Park Basketball ($5,000); Floral Park Little League Baseball ($5,000); and Our Lady of Victory CYO Basketball ($5,000).

"Promoting programs that directly invest in our children is my goal with grant funding," Assemblyman Alfano said, adding, "It's very important to promote wellness programs and invest in new technologies in education. We live in a global economy and initiatives like SMARTBoards are cutting-edge technology for schools. It's also my priority to support activities that promote wellness and healthy lifestyles for our young people. Programs like soccer, Little League and basketball give our young people positive outlets. Many of these great programs have conditioning programs and special clinics that invest directly in the child. That's why funding like this is so important to a community."

The Floral Park-Bellerose School district is receiving grant funding for SMARTBoards in the classroom and a Mentors and Leaders Program. SMARTBoards, the latest cutting edge technology that utilizes computers, programming and a white board to teach in the classroom, allow students to interact as an entire classroom; it allows for individuals to work with the board while all students take part with keypads. The SMARTBoard enables teachers to track a student's progress and pinpoint areas where students need extra help and instruction.

"I've seen SMARTBoards in action and I know they work. I'm very happy that John Lewis Childs and Floral Park-Bellerose Elementary will be the recipients of funding to go toward this worthy effort. I also want to thank the board of education and Superintendent [Lynn] Pombonyo for working with me on this effort - they deserve a lot of the credit on developing and securing this package for the community at large."

The Mentors program is an initiative Assemblyman Alfano started 10 years ago for children to get involved in public service and strive for their dreams through getting the very best education possible. To date, over 10,000 children have participated in this first in New York State program.

The Floral Park Indian Soccer program will be utilizing the funding for new soccer goals, uniforms and conditioning clinics for soccer players associated with the program. Assemblyman Alfano noted, "The Indians are recognized as one of the most highly respected soccer programs in Nassau County. I can't wait to see the kids play this season."

Floral Park's basketball program will utilize the funding for special clinics, tournaments, uniforms and equipment for the program. Floral Park Little League will also be getting new equipment this season. The Our Lady of Victory CYO basketball program will also be able to purchase new uniforms, develop clinics and purchase new equipment with the funding.