Legislator John G. Testa Helps Deliver Over $200,000 of Funding for Peekskill's Youth

From the Westchester Countly Board of Legislators Office: At the last regular meeting of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL), Legislator John Testa (R-Peekskill) was joined by his colleagues on the BOL in voting to enter into an inter-municipal agreement (IMA) with the City of Peekskill to provide critical funding to the city's "Advancing Leadership for Teens" program. 

 Legislator Testa who is a full time educator and former Mayor of Peekskill said, "I am thrilled to be able to help bring this funding to the youth of Peekskill.  I have dedicated my career to educating kids and preparing them for their future educational or career endeavors.  The Advancing Leadership for Teens program and the City of is a wonderful partnership that was created not just for kids but with those kid’s direct input." 

Legislator Testa concluded, "While we have seen a lot of our community programs cut or even eliminated in municipalities across the county I am very gratified that we were able to arrive at this agreement between the county and the City of Peekskill.  This is an investment in our greatest resource in Peekskill and Westchester, our kids, and it will pay great dividends far beyond the terms of the agreement."

Under the terms of the IMA, the program would receive $135,000 from Westchester County with the City of Peekskill providing $72,693.  The funding carries the program through 2014 and will serve approximately 180 kids.

The "Advancing Leadership for Teens" program was designed to address the needs of youth in Peekskill focusing on objectives like developing resumes and job seeking.  Another primary focus will be college exploration and readiness.  The program also aims to prevent health risk behaviors in kids by providing health education, community and cultural service projects, youth activism, academic and education services and dropout prevention.  One of the most basic yet important aspects of the program is that it provides a constructive and safe atmosphere for youth outside of school.