$30,000.00 to La Casa De Amistad, Inc.

La Casa de Amistad is a community center focused on serving the Latino community of St. Joseph County.  They provide educational programs including pre-k reading readiness, English as a New Language, GED and citizenship classes, as well as running a food pantry, computer programs and information and referral services in Spanish and English.  They are requesting funds to supplement their operating budget to assist in carrying out their mission and to help meet their organizational goals.  They provide vital services to our local Latino community and are taking steps to build their donor base and think more strategically about their future. 

$25,000.00 to United Way of St. Joseph County

The United Way of St. Joseph County requested funding for the People Gotta Eat Initiative.  People Gotta Eat (PGE) was created in Fall 2008 to respond to the dramatic increase in the number of hungry people in St. Joseph County.  This increase was a direct result of the national and local economies.  Emergency kitchens, food pantries and local shelters experienced increases ranging from 40% - 85%.  In 2009 the 12 largest food pantries averaged 9,800 families per month.   Food pantries were not able to respond to the need and turned to the United Way  for assistance. The PGE fundraising effort was implemented by United Way to augment the spiraling need for food.  While the collective fundraising is very positive, member pantries also believe a key component is the strong network that has been created among local food panties. 

$20,000.00 to St. Margaret's House

St. Margaret's House requested a grant to supplement its operating budget.  The grant would ensure the continuation of work of providing immediate services, educational programs and a community of support to women and children of St Joseph County who live 125% below poverty.  St. Margaret's House is a vibrant community center with impressive leadership and volunteers.  Expected outcomes include:  23,000 main meals of the day will be served, over 100 women will receive multi-session parenting classes, 20 women will make concrete plans toward self-sufficiency by graduating from Bridges Out of Poverty classes and 450 different women who suffer from mental illness will receive day services and support throughout the year. 

$18,000.00 to El Campito Day Care Center

El Campito, Inc., an independent non-profit child development center, is asking for support for their Parents as Teachers program (PAT) which they have been providing for more than 10 years.  The program is offered free of charge to participants and is open to anyone who lives in St. Joseph County and who has children from prenatal to Kindergarten entrance.  PAT provides personalized home visits using the acclaimed PAT curriculum, a monthly playgroup and a monthly parent meeting, health and developmental screenings, and a referral network.  Currently, they are serving about 60 families.  All services are provided in both Spanish and English. 

$15,000.00 to The Apprentice Academy

The Apprentice Academy is requesting $25,000 in funding for the vocational training and education of high school age and adult students.  The Apprentice Academy works with local business and industry partners to develop courses that provide training in the most in-demand jobs in the region.  These partnerships are also utilized to assist graduates in securing and retaining employment.  Partnerships with the South Bend Schools and Vincennes College provide remedial education, GED assistance, and dual college credit in many of the offered courses to high school and adult students.

$13,500.00 to RiverBend Cancer Services

The RiverBend Cancer Services is requesting funds for Wellness Programs which will help people with cancer in our community thrive both during and after diagnosis and treatment.  Programs are designed to promote physical, financial and emotional wellness during and after treatment. New in February 2010, Living Well with Cancer offers free weekly information and education to people with cancer and their families.  Later in 2010, they will introduce Cancer Transitions: Moving beyond Treatment, a program designed by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Wellness Communities, which will help cancer survivors make the transition from active treatment to post treatment care.  This six-week program is for survivors who have completed treatment in the last 24 months and is designed to support, educate and empower people in the transitional period after treatment is over.  RiverBend serves families at 200% of poverty.

$12,500.00 to Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County

Funds are requested to support the third Rock the House Project, 2011 School House.  In strong collaboration with the local public and private school systems, Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County will build a home for a local family.  During the 2010-2011 school year, student, faculty, and staff volunteers will work shoulder-to-shoulder with a hard working St. Joseph County family to help them achieve the goal of homeownership.  The results of this project will be another responsible homeowner family that will live in a safe, decent, and affordable home, and a community of young people that will learn social responsibility and service by building the home and actively participating in raising funds for the project. 

$10,000.00 to Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County

Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County is requesting support for a one-year Coordinated Community Engagement Initiative designed to leverage community resources to support the mission of Boys & Girls Club of St. Joseph County. The initiative will reach out to organizations that can provide well-qualified volunteer tutors and mentors to work with underserved Club Members, primarily pre-teens and teen from low-income, minority families. The initiative will also serve to introduce potential donors to the Club to help sustain programming.  This is the Club's first systematic, organized effort to build a stronger volunteer network to support their strong programming. 

$7,500.00 to Unity Gardens Inc.

The Unity Gardens, Inc. is requesting funds to support its collaborative network of 28 community gardens originated to increase the availability, awareness & accessibility of healthy, locally grown food. The gardens provide food for those in need & bring diverse people together to grow, harvest, share, and eat healthy food.  The mission is to improve community health, physically, socially, and economically. Through empowerment and facilitative education, the Unity Gardens is a vehicle for economic recovery as well as health care promotion.