Kids who are in danger of falling through the cracks got a helping hand this week from a community program put on by the YMCA.

The TELUS Thompson Okanagan Community Board recently presented the YMCA Beyond the Bell staff at George Pringle Elementary with a $10,000 cheque to help support a program that is keeping some of our most academically disadvantaged children from slipping between the cracks.

鈥淭he YMCA鈥檚 Beyond the Bell Program is truly making a difference for our communities most vulnerable children by ensuring they succeed both in and outside of the classroom,鈥� said Jennifer Park, TELUS Community Investment Manager. 鈥淥ur Board was impressed to learn that 88 per cent of the children attending the program in the past year improved in reading by at least one grade level. Supporting an after school academic enrichment program with this level of success was an opportunity we couldn鈥檛 ignore.鈥�

The YMCA Beyond the Bell program is fully donor-funded and only made possible through the generous support from our community.

鈥淵MCA Beyond the Bell is proven to help children improve their social skills, literacy, math, nutrition and more,鈥� said Allyson Graf, General Manager Community and Strategic Initiatives with the YMCA of Okanagan. 鈥淗owever, more children in the Okanagan need assistance than we can currently provide at one location. We need financial support from the community to maintain and grow these programs.鈥�

If you would like to give the gift of learning, please contact Rhonda Zakala at 250-491-8672.