$50,000.00 to Women's Care Center
The Women's Care Center is working on a capital project that will
address the problem of pregnant women who do not access 1st trimester
prenatal care in St. Joseph County (16 year low). Project includes
the expansion of the Women's Care Center on Notre Dame Avenue
to include a full prenatal clinic and education center. Space
will allow for new prenatal education programs as well on-site
prenatal medical care. Women's Care Center has a strong history
of providing high quality care to low-income, young and many
times unmarried women in our community.
$16,000.00 to Boys & Girls Clubs of St.
Joseph County
Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County will use funds to expand
the NetSmartz internet safety awareness programming into all of
the after-school branches. The program is an interactive, educational
resource for children ages 5-17 that uses age-appropriate, 3-D
activities to teach children and their families how to decrease
their vulnerability to dangerous situations that may present themselves
on the Internet. At the conclusion of the program, each branch
will hold a graduation ceremony for the Club members and their
parents to celebrate the member’s certifications.
$15,000.00 to Center for the Homeless
The Center for the Homeless will use funds to create a garden designed
primarily for the harvesting of fresh fruits and vegetables by
the Center's guests. This program is being done in partnership
with the Junior League. The garden area will also serve as multi-use
space, with an attractive and inviting area for small gatherings,
meditation, and picnics. The garden will provide the Center for
the Homeless guests with fresh, locally-grown produce for the
kitchen, educational programs geared around healthy living habits
for families, and a therapeutic space of relaxation and reflection
for residents, staff and the broader community.
$15,000.00 to Hannah and Friends
Hannah & Friends has begun construction of a 31 acre residential
setting for adults with developmental disabilities. The farm will
feature up to 16 suburban-style homes, a recreational community
center, working farm, pond, sledding hill and numerous scenic areas.
The adults who will reside at the farm will be residents of St.
Joseph County. The organizations expected outcomes are to bring
a new alternative in St. Joseph County for the rapidly growing
population of individuals with developmental disabilities. Foundation
funds will be used to support the building of the recreation center
on the property.
$12,000.00 to IMANI and UNIDAD
IMANI and UNIDAD will use funds to implement the Teen Peer Education
Program which is modeled after a former program of AIDS Ministries/AIDS
Assist. The program was established by Debra M. Stanley to address
the evolving needs, issues and concerns of youth throughout our
community focusing on prevention of HIV/AIDS/STD transmission
and unplanned pregnancy. The project will target population youth
age 15-22, male and female. The expected number of program participants
will be two groups of ten youth who will enroll in both a summer
and fall training session. These youth will complete community
service and deliver preventative education in a wide variety
of forums.
$10,000.00 to Diabetes Association of St. Joseph County
The Diabetes Association of St. Joseph County will use funds for
a new program, Turning the Tables on Hunger. This program combines
outreach to older adults to expedite food stamp enrollment and
also includes health access opportunities to underinsured persons
in St. Joseph County who are struggling with food insecurity.
The program will allow the organization to incorporate education
about the relationship of good nutrition to the Food Stamp Program,
Food Stamp Program pre-screening and application assistance into
its outreach to medically underserved older adults who have,
or are at risk for, diabetes.
$5,245.00 to South Bend Community School Corporation
Twelve teachers will be trained to develop Video Modeling clips
as an effective teaching method for the 250+ students with Autism
Spectrum Disorders in the South Bend Community School Corp. The
grant will provide the equipment needed and the training necessary
for the staff who will implement this methodology. In addition
to using the necessary technology, teachers will learn how to
compose and edit video clips of the targeted behaviors to be
learned. Finished video clips will be posted on a password-accessible
web site for all the teachers to access, as needed.
$3,000.00 to College Mentors for Kids
College Mentors for Kids is an innovative statewide non-profit
that pairs at-risk first- through fourth-graders with a college
student mentor for weekly on-campus activities that expose them
to the opportunities of higher education. At present, 34 underprivileged
children from Holy Cross School and St. Adalbert's School participate
in the program at the University of Notre Dame. A grant from
the Community Foundation will allow the chapter to serve up to
15 more children in 2008-2009 at St. Adalbert's School.