I-TRI Girls Receive $10,000 Grant

, a fitness and wellness program for at-risk adolescent girls, has received a $10,000 grant that will provide necessary equipment and training for 23 students preparing for a youth triathlon in July.

Simple Works Foundation, which is based in East Hampton, donated the money. It is a non-profit that funds smaller projects aimed at the health, wellness and education of children.

Theresa Roden, the executive director and founder of i-tri, said the grant also enables her organization to bring the program to other school districts next year.

Funding for i-tri is done through donations , other grants, and fundraising efforts like the recent "Bottles for Bikes," where the group collected cans and bottles to recycle for money. This summer a  fundraiser will be held, along with a raffle.

But, Roden said to receive a $10,000 grant is a big help. "This is quite a huge show of confidence from the Simple Works Foundation that they believe in what we're doing," she said on Wednesday.

Girls 11 to 15 are currently in training for the Maidstone Park Youth Triathlon in Springs on July 24.

While no one at Simple Works could be immediately contacted, its website said it is a volunteer organization that provides assistance to local groups.

"Many such groups and individuals lack the resources to solicit traditional sources of aid. The paperwork and infrastructure requirements make it difficult for them to obtain much-needed funding," the website said.

"Through Simple Works Local Advisors (SWLAs) — physicians, health care workers, community and religious leaders, local officials and employees of other NGOs — we fill the gap, leveraging these people who are already on the ground to vet and manage targeted projects," it said.