The City of Auburn on Monday accepted a $50,000 grant from King County to support the after-school Olympic Leadership Academy at Olympic Middle School.

By accepting the funds, the City renewed its agreement with the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health to provide funds for the successful program.

As part of its Safe Communities programs, the county has offered the grant to help fund OLA for the past two years.

Now in its fifth year, the program serves 50 to 60 students each day. The idea is to provide youth — most of them Latinos at high risk of academic failure — a supportive school environment that gives them a chance to improve their academic and personal success.

“We are funded through the end of this school year, and there’s a possibility of funding in the new year, meaning 2010,” said Jim Westhusing, Teen Coordinator for Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation. “We would love to continue doing it. We have family night once a month and would love for it to go on. It’s a great, fantastic program.”

The program offers:

• 25 at-risk, middle school students one hour of academic skills building, four days a week

• 25 at-risk, middle school students one hour of youth development activities four days a week

• Parents of children enrolled in OLA access to volunteer opportunities within the program to include tutoring, leading activities and preparation of culturally relevant snacks

• Parents access to the project family advocate for referrals to family support services.

Westhusing said the program shows measurable success with students’ improvements in school performance, attendance and a decrease in disciplinary action for delinquent activities.