About 25 teenagers listened attentively to the politicians and stood, with an occasional giggle, through the ensuing photo opportunity yesterday as a program designed to provide them with opportunity received a $470,000 federal grant.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, announced the grant, for at-risk youth programs at East End Cooperative Ministry, at a news conference in the basement of Crossroads United Methodist Church in East Liberty.

The money will be a huge chunk of the ministry's now-$700,000 budget for its Points of Healthy Youth Sustainability Engagement and Development (PHYSED) program. The grant came as part of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill recently approved by Congress.

Mr. Doyle put an earmark in the House version of the bill that was matched in the Senate by Sens. Casey and Arlen Specter, who did not attend the news conference. The two earmarks were added together in the final version of the bill to produce the $470,000 total..

Mr. Doyle said EECM leaders sat down with him to explain the merits of the PHYSED program, which fit with Department of Justice funding for at-risk youth.

"Too many of our sons and daughters are sitting in prison cells rather than sitting in cubicles making money in the city of Pittsburgh," Mr. Doyle said. "[Children] need someone to give them a push on the right path."

Mr. Casey referenced his experience teaching in inner-city Philadelphia 25 years ago in talking about the importance of supporting urban youth programs.

"This is about helping young people on a path that leads to opportunity, hard work and self-sufficiency," he said.

The PHYSED program serves middle and high school students who are high-risk -- a determination made based on family support and the community where they live -- in East Liberty, Lincoln, Lemington, Larimer, Garfield, Homewood and Highland Park. Through educational and social activities, PHYSED participants receive guidance from positive role models, too often lacking in their communities.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl also spoke at yesterday's event, expressing his thanks for the funding influx.

"Not to be too political, but we've seen [federal funding] decline under the Bush administration," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "But there has been no better advocate for Pittsburgh than Mike Doyle."

The Rev. Darnell Leonard, associate director of EECM, said the grant will last more than two years. He said the money will enhance the services PHYSED provides -- including more educational trips outside of Pittsburgh -- and serve more young people.

"We are just excited about what this program will do for their lives," Mr. Leonard said.

The idea of helping children, who were rewarded with pizza after standing through the speeches, puts a more pleasant face on the controversial topic of congressional earmarks.

Mr. Doyle cited Alaska's infamous Bridge to Nowhere as an example of bad pork projects, saying Congress should limit them and shine more light on their origins.

"But the vast majority of money we appropriate," Mr. Doyle said, "goes to worthwhile projects like this."