April, 2008

AACF and Special Project Challenge Grants Awarded

The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County’s African American Community Fund Committee announced that it has awarded three grants as a result of applications received during its spring grant cycle. Recipients include the Early Childhood Education Philanthropic Fund, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St. Joseph County, and the Boy Scouts of America LaSalle Council for Troop 419 of Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church.

The Early Childhood Education Philanthropic Fund received a grant of $40,000, payable over three years, to support an effort to raise the quality of care provided by unlicensed registered ministries—day care centers that primarily serve African-American children. This grant will fund a series of sessions with a national trainer and local consultants to help caregivers at these centers improve their skills in nurturing young children. In hope, this will increase the likelihood that more caregivers from registered ministries will take advantage of other training opportunities offered through the Community Foundation’s larger early childhood initiative, Early Years Count.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St. Joseph County received a grant of $5,000 to implement the Learning, Education, Advancement, and Direction program (LEAD). This program will help 15 African-American boys between the ages of 11 and 14 to grow into positive, confident community members on the road to personal success. LEAD will recruit African-American role models to work with these boys, involving them in cultural and educational enrichment opportunities.

The Boy Scouts of America LaSalle Council for Troop 419 of Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church received a grant of $2,250 to support its outdoor scouting activities during 2008. Troop 419 is one of the only Boy Scout troops in the county that serves African-American boys. In the past, the troop has only been able to offer limited outdoor activities to its members, which has prevented them from achieving the milestones required to move up in the national Boy Scout ranks. This year, Troop 419 will offer scouts camping, fishing, hiking, survival skills, and wildlife education opportunities, allowing the boys who participate to advance to higher levels of Scouting.

The Foundation’s Special Project Challenge Grant Committee awarded eight grants as a result of applications received during its fall grant cycle. Recipients include the Women’s Care Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County, Center for the Homeless, Hannah and Friends, IMANI and UNIDAD, the Diabetes Association of St. Joseph County, the South Bend Community School Corporation, and College Mentors for Kids.

The Women’s Care Center received a grant of $50,000 to support the expansion of their facility on Notre Dame Avenue. The upgrades to the site will include a full prenatal clinic and an education center. Currently, only 71 percent of pregnant women receive prenatal care during their first trimesters—the lowest point in 16 years. This expansion will give more young, low-income women access to medical care and educational counselling early in their pregnancies.

Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County received a grant of $16,000 to expand the NetSmartz program into all of their after-school branches. An interactive educational computer resource for children between five and 17, NetSmartz uses age-appropriate three-dimensional activities to teach children and their families how to be safe on the Internet. All Boys & Girls Clubs members must complete the NetSmartz program in order to use the Club’s computer resources.

The Center for the Homeless received a grant of $15,000 to create a fruit and vegetable garden for the benefit of its guests. The garden will provide fresh, locally grown produce for the Center’s kitchen, and will also be an attractive space for picnics, group meetings, meditation, and programs that will help guests develop healthy living habits.

Hannah and Friends received a grant of $15,000 to support the construction of a recreation center on a new, 31-acre residential campus for adults with developmental disabilities. The campus will also include 16 suburban-style homes, a working farm, a pond, and a sledding hill. The Hannah and Friends campus will provide a new alternative in St. Joseph County for the rapidly growing population of individuals with developmental disabilities.

IMANI and UNIDAD received a grant of $12,000 to implement the Teen Peer Education Program. The program will include 20 young men and women between the ages of 15 and 22, and will focus on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as unplanned pregnancies, through training sessions, community service, and other forms of education.

The Diabetes Association of St. Joseph County received a grant of $10,000 to create Turning the Tables on Hunger, a new program that will help underinsured, low-income older adults enroll in food stamp programs and will also provide them with increased access to health services. Turning the Tables on Hunger will allow the Diabetes Association to incorporate education about the importance of good nutrition into its outreach to medically underserved older adults in St. Joseph County who have diabetes or are at risk for the disease.

The South Bend Community School Corporation received a grant of $5,245 to provide the equipment and training necessary for 12 teachers to learn to develop video modelling clips, an effective teaching method for the 250+ students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the South Bend schools. The video clips that the teachers create will be posted on a password-protected Web site that all SBCSC teachers will be able to access.

College Mentors for Kids received a grant for $3,000. CMK is a state-wide nonprofit that pairs at-risk first- through fourth-graders with a college-student mentor. The two meet weekly on campus for activities, exposing the children to the college environment. At present, 34 children from Holy Cross School and St. Adalbert's School participate in the program in partnership with students from the University of Notre Dame. This grant will allow 15 more children from St. Adalbert's to be involved in 2008-09.