By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
ST. JOSEPH - On Tuesday afternoon William Alford and his wife Betty of Niles, presented Mike Ahern, executive director of the Benton Harbor – St. Joseph YMCA and Kathryn Miller, early childhood program director at the Benton Harbor – St. Joseph YMCA with a check for $12,000 as part of the Colonel's Kids and Entertainment Industry Foundation which support YMCA childcare programs, at the KFC located on Hilltop Road in St. Joseph.
Alford who has owned a KFC restaurant for the past 42 years, owns 17 area KFC restaurants with his headquarters being in Niles.
The grants given to the YMCAs are used to support costs associated with their childcare programs and of staff participation in the Championing a Diversity Initiative and Building Abundant Assets training programs.
Since the year 2000, Colonel's Kids has awarded more than six million dollars to childcare causes across the United States, including five million to YMCAs to help provide families better access to safe, affordable high quality child care.