The Franklin Center works in partnership with the Aliquippa School District and members of the community, to provide supplemental educational opportunities for students and their families. Through the Aliquippa Alliance’s year-round programming, students are provided new avenues to improve academically, are introduced to opportunities for careers and higher education, and learn the value of continuing through graduation. Parental and community involvement are increased throughout the year. The AAUD provides opportunities for students in community service, the arts, the environment, and higher education, and introduces them to the wide variety of vocations. Call 724-378-7422 for availability and applications.

Elementary School Programs

Junior Achievement Day

Approximately 40 volunteers teach the JA curriculum to the students in the Aliquippa Elementary School. This one-day event gives students an introduction to economics and business.

Breakfast with Santa and Winter Coat Distribution

Event Date:  December 12, 2009 (pictures of previous breakfast's with santa)

For the past thirteen years on a Saturday in mid-December, hundreds of children have had the opportunity to sit on Santa’s knee, receive a picture of themselves with Santa, receive a new book, and enjoy a hot breakfast.  This year on Saturday, December 13th that experience was repeated.  Throughout the morning children waited in anticipation to see Santa and tell him their Christmas wishes, and “ooohed” and “aaawed” as they were given a new toy (for the first year) in addition to their picture and book.  Children and their parents then had the opportunity to feast on a delicious breakfast prepared by the Franklin Center’s Rosalyn Johnson, have their face painted by Kathy Rader, and sign up for a chance to win bikes and other larger gifts.   Approximately two hundred children were given the opportunity to receive a morning full of gifts, joy, good food, and companionship that they may not otherwise have experienced.  The event would not have happened without the support of our sponsors and the help of our volunteers.  In 2008 gifts for the children were provided by Toys for Tots, and donations came from the Dominion Foundation, the City of Aliquippa, ESB Bank, the Primary Health Network, the Ambridge Home Center, the Beaver Valley Mall, Target, and Citizen’s Bank.  The Disney Store at South Hills Village kindly came and decorated the windows with Disney characters and winter scenes.

 In 2009, Breakfast with Santa will take place on Saturday, December 12, with sittings at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30am.  Donations of new, unused toys and used or new Christmas decorations are accepted all year round.  Volunteers are also needed on the day of the event to help serve breakfast, pass out toys, take pictures and can also help decorate the hall the week prior to the event. 

Coat distribution:

Thanks to a generous donation of 108 coats from Operation Warm, we were able to provide children in Aliquippa with a new warm winter coat to wear.  Names were collected from daycare centers and the elementary and middle school, and children were invited to the Franklin Center on Franklin Avenue to receive their coat.  Thanks go to the Bank of New York, Mellon for providing the funds for the coats.

 Middle School Programs

Green Team

Since 1995, this summer program provides fifteen students ages 12-14.with community service opportunities, academic enrichment, and field trips for education and fun.

This program is an introduction to work – students are paid a daily stipend.

Math, Science, and English activities are introduced in this program that bridges the gap between school years.

High School Programs

Career Camp

• The focus of this summer program for 14-16 year olds is career discovery and exploration. High School juniors and seniors create portfolios containing the work that they have done over the summer (i.e. resumes, cover letters, applications, etc.).

• Students participate in group job shadowing experiences giving the students opportunities to experience selected career options.

• As a during-school follow-up, the AAUD partners with the Community College of Beaver County to provide a Life-Skills Training program for the students who attended Career Camp.

Career Literacy for African American Youth (CLAAY) Program

The Career Literacy for African American Youth (CLAAY) Program, offered in partnership with Duquesne University and the Aliquippa High School, attacks the problem of job readiness in high school students in two fundamental ways, through Career Mentoring and Basic Skills Development. CLAAY utilized trained adult mentors to help students overcome the barriers to “job readiness” and employs trained tutors to help students become proficient in basic academic skills and improve school performance.

CLAAY provides disadvantaged high school students with career information, activities, and guidance that help students to realize their future career goals, in essence giving students the tools to shape their career futures and the economic future of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Students in Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (S.T.E.M.S)

S.T.E.M.S is a six week summer science camp for middle-school age boys and girls in Beaver County.  It is anticipated that a majority of participants will come from the geographical boundaries of Aliquippa, although students from other surrounding districts will also be targeted.

BIZ Camp

Through entrepreneurship education, NFTE, which is also referred to as Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, helps young people from low-income communities build skills and unlock their entrepreneurial creativity. Since 1987, NFTE has reached over 186,000 young people, and currently has programs in 21 states and 13 countries outside the U.S. NFTE has more than 1,000 active Certified Entrepreneurship Teachers, and is continually improving its innovative entrepreneurship curriculum.