Young people in Auburn will soon have more activities to help keep them busy - and out of trouble - and the Auburn Police Department will enhance its crime-fighting efforts, thanks to state funding.

State Sen. Michael Nozzolio said Saturday that a $50,000 grant has been awarded to develop an after-school program to be run by the Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency.

The program will offer group activities for the young people, including computer training and recreational and cultural opportunities.

“After-school programs help to keep our kids out of trouble and it was a pleasure to secure this funding and invest in the successful futures of our kids,” Nozzolio said in a news release. “This program will provide opportunities for kids and allow them to resist the temptation of delinquency.”

Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency will partner with Auburn's Booker T. Washington Community Center and other interested parties to provide activities to keep young people active after school.

The after-school program - focused on keeping children away from criminal activity, smoking and drug use, among other problems, will allow teens to meet one-on-one with a counselor who will help them develop a long-term plan for life. The program will run on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and on weekends.

Nozzolio also announced Saturday a $30,000 state grant for the Auburn Police Department to provide crime prevention programs.

The funding will be used for new programs to protect the community, including:

� An expanded Neighborhood Watch program within the city. The funding will be used to provide materials and police assistance to successfully organize an expansion of the program into more neighborhoods in Auburn.

� The distribution of crime prevention materials to area businesses to reduce robberies, shoplifting and enhance building security.

The program will allow the police department to work with the business community in preventing crime.

� A program providing young people, ages 16-24, with instruction from police officers on how to carefully operate motor vehicles. The officers will instruct the students in a structured classroom setting, using prepared lessons and demonstrations, to help decrease in the area the number of car accidents involving young people.

“As Chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, supporting the needs and interests of our local law enforcement is one of my top priorities,” Nozzolio said. “Our communities are only as strong as those who serve and protect them and I commend the Auburn Police Department for their continued commitment to preventing crime and making our communities and State better places in which to live, work and raise a family.”