MILWAUKEE (April 19, 2018) – Cousins Subs® Make It Better Foundation has awarded $5,600 in grants to three Wisconsin-based nonprofits—Next Door Foundation, Wisconsin DECA and Greater Green Bay YMCA.

A $1,500 grant was awarded to Wisconsin DECA to provide financial aid to Wisconsin DECA members planning to attend the International Career Development Conference. Since many Wisconsin DECA members are unable to afford the cost to attend the conference, this grant helps offset associated travel costs students incur.

“Thanks to the Make It Better Foundation, Wisconsin DECA is able to provide travel scholarships to our top members to attend the International Career Development Conference and gives them another opportunity to become academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders,” said Terri Mackey, executive director of Wisconsin DECA.

A $3,000 grant was awarded to Greater Green Bay YMCA for its Healthy Youth Initiative. This grant will allow the YMCA to expand the impact and amount of its current physical activities to include community partners that can provide non-traditional activities for children, such as hip hop and breakdancing, yoga, boot camp and martial arts. The YMCA will also collaborate with community agencies to provide nutrition, healthy cooking and family education programs for its afterschool programs.

“In our community there is an increasing disparity for health and wellness opportunities among children and families living in poverty. Many underserved populations live with limited access to healthy living resources and physical activity programs,” said Kathleen McKee, youth development executive at Greater Green Bay YMCA. “Our Green Bay YMCA Healthy Youth Initiative will provide hundreds of school-aged children with access to physical activity, nutritional education and healthy cooking opportunities during out-of-school programs. We are incredibly grateful that Cousins’ Make It Better Foundation recognized this need and chose to support children in our community through this generous grant.”

Next Door Foundation was awarded $1,100 worth of tote bags to support their Backpack Program, which will ensure that children have access to healthy foods, which are critical for brain growth and development. Each week, children and their families will receive a bag filled with fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods provided by Feeding America.

“We look forward to filling up these tote bags every week with nutritious food for our families to take home and help ensure their children are well-fed,” said Dr. Tracey Sparrow, president of Next Door. “The children are developing so fast during their early years – both physically and emotionally – that it’s critical they have the proper food at home to keep their minds engaged and their bodies strong!"

Each grant is funded through the Cousins Subs’ Make It Better Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization established in 2013. The Make It Better Foundation aims to improve the general welfare and quality of life in the communities Cousins Subs serves and addresses three areas of interest that are vital to any community: health and wellness, hunger and youth education. Since its inception, the Make It Better Foundation has awarded more than $314,000 to nonprofit organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin.
“Cousins Subs views every day as an opportunity to make it better for those it serves,” said Justin McCoy, director on Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation board. “By funding statewide nonprofit organizations that align with our Foundation’s three pillars – hunger, youth education and health & wellness – we’re able to focus on this mission and Cousins’ long-standing tradition of giving back to our local communities.”
Interested nonprofit and community organizations can visit cousinssubs.com/foundation to find out more information on eligibility and how to apply.

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ABOUT COUSINS SUBS

Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs®, a family-owned, fast casual sub shop established in 1972 by Bill Specht and his cousin, is driven by the mission to Believe in Better – both in the quality of food it serves and in the communities it supports. Cousins Subs and its franchisees operate more than 100 sub sandwich shops throughout Wisconsin and Arizona, providing guests with quality deli fresh and made to order grilled subs using only the freshest ingredients on its signature bread baked daily. For more information, visit www.cousinssubs.com. You can also find Cousins Subs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.