The Toledo Rotary Club Foundation recently awarded a grant in the amount of $10,000 to the Social Services for the Arab Community (SSFAC). The grant was used to fund the SSFAC Family Education Plan (FEP) Program, which helps to improve academic performance among Arab immigrant and refugee school-aged students and to improve the English language proficiency of their parents.

The FEP program took place on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s of every week for an hour and a half for each session. The program consisted of two components: Adult English Communication (AEC), with two classes for beginners and intermediate learners, and Student Homework Help (SHH).

Along with the staff of SSFAC, the program was possible by the help of about 50 volunteers with over 1,000 hours in volunteer work.

The FEP Program provided help to 25 adults in both the beginner and the intermediate sessions of the AEC component. The measurable results were:

• Adults gained more than 100 new words in English = 95%
• Adults were able to conjugate more than 40 verbs = 85%
• Arab adults forming friendships with non-Arabs = 80%
• Arab adults who are able to help with their children’s homework = 40%

FEP Program also provided help to 35 school-aged children to enhance their academic performance. The measurable results were:

• Students achieving a higher GPA = 85%
• Students changing their school’s subjects’ grade by one letter grade = 85%
• Students able to work unassisted on their homework two nights per week = 70%