MONTGOMERY – The Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF) on Tuesday announced 22 grants total $125,479 to 17 River Region nonprofits that support family wellness projects.
Family Wellness Grant Awards Include:
- $7,200 to Catholic Social Services to provide immediate aid to 2,000+ families in crisis in the Montgomery area. Direct Aid is able to assist with payment on utility bills, food, clothing and prescription drug assistance.
- $7,200 to Family Sunshine Center to support trauma victims, witnesses to abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and counseling services for children. The Family Sunshine Center will provide at least 115 hours of support.
- $10,400 to Mary Ellen’s Hearth at Nellie Burge Community Center to support homeless mothers and children with long-term shelter, life skills, financial literacy training, GED assistance, access to computers for resume writing, searching for jobs, and homework help, to equip them with the tools needed to succeed once they graduate from this two year program.
- $9,800 to Children’s Center of Montgomery, Inc. to develop an accessible garden area for young adults with special needs and disabilities. This grant will provide a wheelchair walkway, raised garden beds, and therapeutic walking aids to improve motor skills, enhance creativity, increase social skills and reduce stress and anxiety.
- $9,900 to Mercy House to provide hot meals, access to showers, washing machines and dryers, a clothes closet and emergency food needs to 50 families on a weekly basis in the Washington Park area.
- $5,250 to the Montgomery Area Food Bank to purchase an electric pallet jack. Due to an eight percent increase in the amount of food received, the Montgomery Area food Bank now distributes 25.8 million pounds of food to low-income families and averages roughly 100 full pallets of food every day.
- $7,500 to Child Protect to support victims of alleged child abuse in Montgomery County. Funding will provide forensic interviews and counseling which helps investigators discern the truth in allegations and provide for follow-up counseling sessions.
- $5,000 to Impact Alabama to provide free vision screenings to children in Head Start and lower-income daycare programs throughout Lowndes, Macon, and Montgomery counties using high-tech digital cameras.
- $12,000 to Medical Outreach Ministries to help serve 420 uninsured diabetic patients by volunteer healthcare providers in diabetes self-management program. Patients attend monthly education classes, are provided medical supplies, such as test strips, lancets, and syringes in addition to DVD’s used in one-on-one patient education.
- $700.00 to Family Support Center to provide take home program materials for participants in the Fathers and Mothers Involved, Learning and Enjoying Success Program. This program helps strengthen families to reduce the risk of neglect and child abuse.
- $900.00 to Southeastern Diabetes Education Services to help three residents from Autauga County attend Camp Seale Harris. Camp Seale Harris provides self management education, peer support, expert medical instruction, and healthy physical activity to youth and their families.
- $2,500 to Family Sunshine Center to provide emergency shelter to 16 Elmore County residents. Staff will also provide immediate needs such as: safety, security, food and clothing, counseling and community resource referrals.
- $2,500 to Community Hospital in Tallassee to provide 30 daily hot meals for the Meals on Wheels Program.
- $1,100 to Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center to provide a forensic interview, therapy, caregiver support, and advocacy services to one child victimized by abuse and/or neglect from Elmore County.
- $2,500 to 832 K-9’s Deputy Dogs to cover veterinary costs (rabies vaccine, heartworm, and flea control) for bloodhounds trained to assist law enforcement in saving lives and catching criminals.
- $5,000 to Brantwood Children’s Home to support the Transitional and Independent Living Programs. These programs teach life skills such as: securing employment, preparing meals, and home management skills while easing young adults into full adulthood. This field of interest grant is provided by the Group Homes for Children Fund.
- $21,300 to Montgomery Area Community Wellness Coalition to provide a Diabetes Self-Management Program for adults with Type 2 Diabetes. Attendees will learn to recognize and deal with the symptoms of Diabetes, appropriate exercise, healthy eating, and proper medication use. Education and wellness case management will be provided in three six-week sessions serving 45 participants. This field of interest fund is provided by the Merle S. and Mack C. Hunt Diabetes Fund.
- $4,500 to the Montgomery Area Food Bank to provide food and educational materials to low-income and at-risk families in food-insecure communities. Materials include: healthy meal/food safety information, and nutrition guidelines. This field of interest fund is provided by the Merle S. and Mack C. Hunt Diabetes Fund.
- $4,800 to Southeastern Diabetes Education Services to provide funding for six low income Montgomery area children with diabetes the opportunity to attend Camp Seale Harris. This field of interest fund is provided by the Merle S. and Mack C. Hunt Diabetes Fund.
- $2,500.00 to Family Sunshine Center to provide funding for a new website which will include an online resource library, the ability to highlight resources, and a new logo. This is a technical assistance grant.
- $429.00 to Montgomery Cancer Wellness Foundation to update its current website and create a user-friendly platform for patients, donors, and board members. This is a technical assistance grant.
- $2,500 to Mary Ellen’s Hearth at Nellie Burge Community Center to assist with marketing efforts to create a more consistent and cohesive brand which will provide the opportunity for better fundraising, fund development, and communication between partners, beneficiaries, participants, and donors. This is a technical assistance grant.
“These organizations play a critical role in the overall health and well-being of our community citizens,” CACF President Burton Ward said. “Thanks to the generous support of our donors, CACF is able to make a significant contribution to programs offered by River Region nonprofits.”
CACF was founded in 1987 and has grown to hold more than $65 million in charitable assets while distributing more than $55 million to organizations that serve the community. CACF serves several counties including Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Macon and Montgomery.
Through its more than 230 funds, CACF addresses a wide variety of concerns, supporting projects and programs in education, health, human services, cultural arts, recreation, historic preservation and other civic concerns. Each year, the foundation distributes more than $5 million through hundreds of grants and scholarships.
