NASHVILLE, TN - State prison officials awarded a $250,000 grant Friday in Nashville to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi initiative.

The program works to provide mentors for the children of incarcerated parents. According to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Correction, the initiative is designed to break the intergenerational cycle of crime and incarceration and gives an often forgotten group of children the chance to reach their highest potential.

The money was included in the state budget. Correction Commissioner Derrick D. Schofield said the funds will help children become productive citizens.

The program in the state was created in 2004. Big Brothers Big Sisters has agencies in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Clarksville.