GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation has awarded $64,343 to fourteen local non-profits serving many sectors of life, such as arts and culture, education, health, and human services. The grants were awarded through the Funds for Greater Green Bay, a collection of field of interest and unrestricted funds of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, and in partnership with generous donors who have funds at the Community Foundation. Field of Interest Funds support particular interest areas or causes, or specific geographic areas. Unrestricted Funds are flexible funds of the Community Foundation that respond to the current needs of people in Brown, Kewaunee, and Oconto counties. Many people will be impacted with these grants, including the youth, elderly and low-income. The grants were awarded based on a competitive application process including a review by a grants team consisting of community volunteers. Grants awarded from the Funds for Greater Green Bay are:Arts and CultureEducational Opportunities for Visitors: Green Bay Botanical Garden creates and provides educational and interpretive information with both visual and hands on elements for visitors each year. About 5,100 children and adults participate in the Botanical Garden’s educational programs annually.Student Visits to Museum Exhibits: Neville Public Museum Foundation will assist up to 4,000 low-income and at-risk students (grades pre-K through 12) to attend exhibitions at the Neville Public Museum with their schools. Classes will be able to visit exhibits including MuseumPLACE: A Celebration of Community; Football: The Exhibit; and Who Are the Hmong, as well as to participate in a variety of related activities in and out of the classroom.EducationSafety Town Program: Center for Childhood Safety offers a safety awareness program to children ages 4-6, in a safe, entertaining, and educational environment. Under the guidance of a licensed elementary school teacher and teenagers earning volunteer hours, children work in small groups to practice and experience “real life” situations before they are confronted with them on their own.Childcare Services for 2012-2013 Programs: Family & Childcare Resources of NEW provides free onsite childcare services for their programs to encourage long-term engagement of participants. Of their clients, 85% of participants in English Language Learner classes, parent classes, and support groups report that they are more likely to complete the course work when onsite childcare is available. About 93% of their clients are low-income and 23% make under $20,000/year.Health Literacy Programs: Literacy Partners of Kewaunee County, Inc. will work to educate participants and strengthen the health literacy knowledge in Kewaunee County through offering programs such as First Aid clinics, providing information at a Back to School event for low-income families, starting a “What do you do When Your Child Gets Sick” program for daycares, and continuing to increase awareness of local health resources.Childcare Assistance for Single Parent Students: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Educational Foundation believes the most effective way to combat child and single parent household poverty is to provide parents access to higher education opportunities that lead to higher wage jobs. NWTC provides childcare assistance to single parent students to help promote retention and graduation.HealthMedical Costs for Uninsured Patients: AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Inc. (ARCW) covers the cost of medical expenses for 31% of their clients who are uninsured. ARCW uses a multidisciplinary approach to care by integrating medical, dental, and mental health clinics with comprehensive social services to assist their clients.Girls Summer Water Aerobics and Nutrition Challenge: Edison Middle School will offer a program for girls to earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. For six weeks, participants will exercise at least 60 minutes per day, five times per week, and they will set one nutritional goal per week. Students who receive free or reduced lunch will be able to participate free of charge.Human ServicesRespite Care Program: ASPIRO, Inc. provides family caregivers with a break from caring full-time for their loved ones, which allows for a safe and healthy life for the entire family. Respite Care, which often exceeds the average cost of childcare, reduces the likelihood of neglect and depression associated with full-time caregiving.Summer Teen Nights: Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay offers a bi-weekly Summer Teen Nights Program to more than 100 teenagers. The program enforces good character, encourages leadership development, and offers healthy lifestyle habits.Scholarships for Children of Homeless Families: Encompass Early Education and Care, Inc. offers scholarships to families who need childcare and are currently residing in homeless and transitional living shelters. Encompass offers support for these families with quality childcare and early education for their children.Victim Support Services: Golden House offers housing, transportation, legal services, and other basic living needs to domestic abuse victims and their families. If a victim cannot be sheltered at the facility due to safety concerns, shelter capacity or other reasons, they are sheltered safely at another facility.Rental Assistance Program: Salvation Army Green Bay offers a rental assistance program for families and individuals exiting shelters or those faced with current homelessness. They also provide these individuals with money management skills, crisis intervention, counseling and advocacy, and networking with community resources.Camp Lloyd Grief Camp: University of Wisconsin - Green Bay’s Camp Lloyd is a five day program staffed by UW-Green Bay students and overseen by faculty. This program supports children ages 7 to 13 in working through the loss of a parent, sibling, or other close relative or friend. In addition to standard camp-type activities (swimming, music and dance, craft projects, etc.), campers have daily healing circles with licensed mental health therapists.About the Greater Green Bay Community FoundationEstablished in 1991, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that manages more than 500 funds, and distributes grants to between 400 and 500 non-profits each year. Community Foundation grants provide funding for programs and services that improve the quality of life in Northeast Wisconsin, supporting human services, education, arts and culture, the environment, and more. Our mission is to inspire and encourage charitable giving in Northeast Wisconsin by connecting people who care with solutions that strengthen our community. For more information, please visit our website: www.ggbcf.org.
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