MT. VERNON — GenFed Financial has awarded two Jefferson County teachers a Teacher of the Quarter Grant in the amount of $250 each for their community service projects.

Third grade chorus instructor Janet Sinks from the Dr. Nick Osborne Primary Center in Mt. Vernon and her students were awarded a $250 grant for performing at the Mt. Vernon Day of Prayer at the Jefferson County Courthouse on May 5 and completing a beautification project at Veteran’s Park. The grant money will be used to purchase T-shirts and black pants for chorus students who cannot afford them.

And, Tisha Ellis, Kindergarten teacher at Opdyke-Belle Rive grade school and her students were awarded a grant for their “Bloom Where You Are Planted” beautification project.

Teachers in Jefferson County can enter to win the GenFed Teacher of the Quarter Grant. Just LIVE UNITED by participating in a community service project with your class, submit your grant application and you could win $250 for your classroom and $50 for yourself! The next application deadline is September 30. If you need help thinking of a project, contact United Way of South Central Illinois at (618) 242-8000.

“Giving students the opportunity to serve and help others not only provides them with a sense of community, but it also builds character and shows them that they can make a difference,” Jen Miller, Executive Director of United Way of South Central Illinois.