The warm bowls of chili people purchased from the sisters with Beta Sigma Phi sorority last fall have resulted in some cool donations for two local causes.

Late last month, members of the Kappa Beta chapter of the national service organization donated proceeds from the group’s annual chili supper held in October to Cass County Bridges Out of Poverty and the Dowagiac Middle School Five Star after school program. Representatives from each organization were given $800 checks by members Linda Alexander and Patty Booth.

The Five Star program, an afterschool program focused on building team and leadership skills, has been offered to students at Dowagiac Middle School for the past four years, impacting between 80 to 150 students each year. The program has helped develop participants into good, responsible adults, Principal Matt Severin said.

Five Star has enjoyed generous support from other local organizations and businesses as well, including the Dowagiac Union Schools Foundation, Dowagiac Optimists and Honor Credit Union.

Cass County Bridges Out of Poverty was an initiative that came to the county in 2008 through the Human Services Coordinating Council. The program has offered at least one poverty educational course for local residents since 2010, with 60 peopled graduating from nine classes.

The “Getting Ahead” class will be held starting in March in Dowagiac. The 16-week course will focus on studying the causes of poverty and establishing personal goals for students to improve their financial futures.