HOPE Grants Awarded, Aimed At Fighting Effects Of Poverty
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Tim Robertson-trobertson@timesuniononline.com
The Kosciusko Community Foundation recently awarded nearly $100,000 in grants aimed at alleviating the effects of poverty in Kosciusko County.
The funds were awarded to 10 different projects dealing with education, job training, transportation, legal and social support. The grants are part of the Helping Overcome Poverty's Effects initiative. The initiative began in January with a one-day workshop with Dr. Ruby Payne, author of "A Framework for Understanding Poverty." At the workshop, the community foundation announced the allocation of $100,000 for projects aimed at reducing poverty.
"The community foundation's grant committee and board of directors are excited about the opportunity to reduce poverty in our community," KCF Executive Director Suzie Light said.
According to Light, by April 4, KCF received grant applications from 14 projects. After reviewing the proposals, KCF awarded grants to 10 of them.
"We funded those projects which we felt best met the mission of this initiative, which was to be a catalyst for programs that reduced poverty in measurable ways and sustainable ways," Light said.
Several area school corporations received funding for projects. South Whitley Elementary School was awarded a total of $800 to help with several projects aimed at improving key student-adult relationships, especially focused on low-income students. One of the programs, Passports, is a class designed to help parents or low-income students be better equipped to be involved in the education of their children. "There are a lot of parents who would really like to help their students at home, but really don't know how to do it," SWES Principal George Roth said.
Another SWES program funded by HOPE grants is called Dynamic Dads. "It's an effort to help dads become more involved in their kids' schools and their daily lives," said Roth. "We're hopeful that we'll see more fathers in our buildings, and if we do, that's going to translate into more students doing better in school."
Grace in Action USA Inc. received $8,200 for a program to provide life skills training for children ages 5-17. GIA is an organization which seeks to help the poor through skills training and economic development.
"We started to realize that to change poverty's effects long-term, we needed to start training the children," said GIA President Gladys Deloe.
Deloe said the funding from the HOPE initiative will enable her organization to publish the curriculum for the children's courses which focus on six main areas of development: making choices, character, love, money management, personal care and personality-potential.
Deloe said her organization is beginning discussions with local schools about starting pilot after-school programs as early as the 2008-2009 school year.
"We are thrilled to have this grant which enables us to publish and promote the curriculum," Deloe said.
The Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club received $8,500 which club president Jeff Owens said will go toward the production of a video to help indigent families and individuals who are not represented by legal counsel navigate the legal system. Owens said the legal sub-committee of the HOPE initiative is working on the video project which will be used by the Court Appointed Special Advocates program in Kosciusko County.
Owens said grant money will be matched by CASA to contribute funding for the video project.
Other HOPE grants were awarded as follows:
n Twenty thousand dollars has been allocated for Bowen Center to assist families in Enchanted Hills with transportation to and from employment and for childcare support.
n Ivy Tech Foundation received $36,000 to implement Getting Ahead workshops aimed at building financial, emotional, mental, language, social support, physical and spiritual resources for those in poverty.
n Tippecanoe Valley School System received $10,000 to provide transportation to summer school, as lack of transportation has been a major barrier in the past for children needing summer school.
n Warsaw Area Career Center received $5,000 for a project to help low-income students throughout the county with fees associated with courses taken through the career center.
n Warsaw Community School Corporation received $1,299.92 for a program aimed at helping young children improve language and communication skills.
n Washington Elementary School received $10,000 for a program designed to promote family time and teach parents how to help their children succeed academically.
According to a press release from KCF, while the funding provided by HOPE is a one-time initiative, the community foundation will continue to address the needs of those in poverty as part of its overall grantmaking which includes grants impacting human services, education, arts and culture, the environment, recreation, civic projects and health.
The HOPE steering committee is made up of more than 50 community volunteers who serve on seven sub committees which meet to develop plans and programs to address poverty in their areas of expertise: education, law enforcement and legal services, churches and faith-based programs, social services, government, business and commerce, medical health and wellness.
Application deadlines for KCF's community funds fall on Jan. 15, May 15 and Sept. 15 of each year. Applications are available online at www.kcfoundation.org by clicking on the "Seeking Funds" link.
For more information about KCF, contact Light at 574-267-1901 or visit www.kcfoundation.org
