ARTICLE
Local Business Partners with National Foundation to Support Families Contact: Evan Ackerman Phone: (941) 953-3877 Email: eackerman@childrenfirst.net Children First received a $1,500 grant from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation upon being nominated by Doug Sutter, President of Sutter Roofing. The grant will go toward the agency’s Families First Institute, an award-winning initiative aimed at strengthening our community’s most economically vulnerable families. Sutter Roofing, a four-generation family owned business, credits its core family values with its longevity and success. “We built our business on principles of trust and integrity, and I am very thankful for Sutter Roofing’s partnership with Enterprise Holdings. For the second year in a row, we are able to bring collective support for our community’s most economically vulnerable children and families,” says Mr. Sutter. “The courses offered by our Families First Institute are life-changing,” says Children First CEO Philip Tavill. “Whether a single mom is being mentored as she re-enters the workplace or a father is learning how to speak English as a second language, these classes help to reduce the effects of poverty through education, information, guidance, and support.” The Enterprise Holdings Foundation was established in 1982 to give back to the communities where partners and employees live and work. Since then, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation has contributed over $350 million to thousands of local nonprofits focused on initiatives like community improvement and education. Children First is deeply appreciative to the Foundation and Sutter Roofing for the positive and enduring change this grant will bring for local children and families living at-risk. About Children First: Founded in 1961 and ranked in the top 1% out of over 1,800 Head Starts nationwide, Children First strengthens children and families by improving the quality of their lives through a comprehensive approach to development, education, health and well-being. At 14 sites throughout Sarasota County, Children First offers full-day preschool, infant and toddler care, and nutrition and health care assistance to children ages birth to five years old from low-income families. Through Children First, the children receive the social and cognitive skills needed to enter kindergarten and elementary school on track. For more information, call (941) 953-3877 or go to childrenfirst.net.