Grant from Entergy allows after-school program to continue through 2017
Wednesday, May 17, 2017 
by: Rene Abadie
PROJECT LION GRANT – A $55,500 grant from Entergy’s Charitable Foundation will help fund Project LION through 2017. Project LION is after-school academic enrichment program coordinated by the Southeastern Louisiana University Department of Teaching and Learning. Pictured are, from left, Lynn Harris Horgan, Southeastern director of individual, corporate and foundation relations; Entergy Northshore Customer Service Representative Eunice Harris; and Gerlinde Beckers, program coordinator and assistant professor of education at Southeastern.
HAMMOND – Project LION, an after-school academic enrichment program in Hammond sponsored
by Southeastern Louisiana University and several partners, will continue through 2017
thanks to a grant from Entergy of Louisiana.
The $55,500 grant from Entergy’s Charitable Foundation will fund the academic
and enrichment activities for Hammond students in grades four through eight. Called
Project LION (Learning In Our Neighborhoods), the program is coordinated by the Southeastern
Department of Teaching and Learning and partners that include the Tangipahoa Parish
School System and the City of Hammond.
“This is our way of giving back to the community,” said Entergy Director of Social
Responsibility Patty Riddlebarger. “It is one way that we are working to help build
and strengthen the communities we serve.”
The grant will help provide fee waivers to allow broad participation by children
from low-income students with low educational attainment levels, explained Dr. Gerlinde
Beckers, program coordinator and an assistant professor of education at Southeastern.
“Programs such as this contribute to the students’ educational attainment and
achievement,” Beckers said.
Project LION is now in its third year, she said, with most of the after-school
activities being conducted at Hammond’s Michael J. Kinney Recreation Center on West
Coleman Avenue.
The project relies heavily on the participation of Southeastern students who
are planning to enter the field of education. The teacher-candidates provide the general
and one-on-one tutoring the elementary school students need.
Southeastern education junior Bailey Terrell of McComb, Miss., said she has been
working with Project LION since January and appreciates the educational opportunity
the experience provides her.
“I love working with the kids. It’s a great experience that helps prepare you
for the real-world of teaching,” said Terrell, who will be entering Southeastern’s
full time teaching residency program at an area school next year.
For more information on Project LION, contact Beckers at 985-549-3030.
