Anna’s House Foundation received a $3,000 grant from the Central Community Foundation to help support their First Focus tutoring program.

“We launched the program in August and have 22 children qualified for the program,” said Katherine Craig, Anna’s House Foundation executive director. “There’s a lot of vulnerability in not being able to read, there’s not an aspect in academia that reading doesn’t touch.”

Anna’s House Foundation is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to providing support and resources for foster families and children in the foster care system. In the Luther area, they currently support a community center and eight houses dedicated to foster families.

The tutoring program has two reading coaches who volunteer to assist children in the program. Anna’s House Foundation currently supports 75 foster children across Oklahoma but has supported more than 500 children since its inception in 2009.

While most of the children in the tutoring program are in kindergarten through 6th grade, Craig said, “We had a kid in the program who came to us in high school but had a kindergarten reading level. Through First Focus, he was able to catch up.”

The grant will help provide after-school snacks, reading materials, books and technology that is needed for the program.

Craig said that Anna’s House Foundation’s biggest need is for foster families and that there has been a decrease in foster parents since COVID-19. If you would like to learn more or get involved, visit their website at annashousefoundation.org.

The Central Community Foundation provides grants through the Operation Round Up program at Central Rural Electric Cooperative. Members of CREC can round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar to help organizations and residents in need throughout Central’s seven-county service area. You can find more information about the Central Community Foundation by visiting mycentral.foundation.