Foundation Announces 2020 Second Quarter Discretionary Grants
Charleston, WV-The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF) Board of Trustees approved the distribution of grant funding totaling $611,700.
Funding supports programs such as Backpack Buddy, a food box delivery program serving students and their families in Boone, Kanawha, and Putnam Counties. Backpack Buddy recently received a special thank you note from a grateful family who had previously received food boxes in a time of need. The volunteers at Backpack Buddy were thrilled to learn that the family was in a better financial position and was volunteering to host a job fair for families currently receiving assistance. Backpack Buddy distributed job fair announcement fliers in 800 food boxes, and many of those people attended the fair. Because of Backpack Buddies’ program and this family’s generosity, two people receiving food boxes found good, steady jobs.
TGKVF awarded seven responsive grants totaling $141,000 to Arts & Culture, Basic Needs, and Field-of-Interest programs, and awarded four grants totaling $150,700 in the Foundation’s proactive areas of Education and Health. Continued generous support from an anonymous donor provided funding for one Dental and seven Emergency Aid grants totaling $320,000.
Arts in Action-Arts in Action Student Classroom and Performance Supplies: $18,000 (Arts & Culture)
Arts in Action’s new program – Superstars ARTReach – will provide classes for 17 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Kanawha County. School year classes and summer camps provide instruction in dance, acrobatic dance, Appalachian clogging, show choir, music, and theater including improvisational comedy and visual arts. The program is committed to “arts for everyone” and provides need-based financial aid. Funding from TGKVF will support classroom and performance supplies.
Charleston Ballet, Inc.-Charleston Ballet 2020-2021 Season: $17,000 (Arts & Culture)
Funding from TGKVF will provide support for the Charleston Ballet’s 2020-2021 season, assisting with guest artist rehearsal and performance fees, travel, and housing for 9-10 performances. This includes three mainstage performances in October and December’s Nutcracker performance with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, along with additional smaller performances that take place throughout the season at various venues. Audiences are from the six counties TGKVF serves and beyond. All performances exhibit educational and cultural diversity components, including BALLET FOR ALL and 21st Century After School Learning Programs.
Children’s Theatre of Charleston-A New Decade, A New Home, A New CTOC: $12,500 (Arts & Culture)
Children’s Theatre of Charleston’s renovations will allow children in Kanawha, Putnam, and surrounding counties to be exposed to the performing arts in a professional rehearsal setting. The larger space will increase the number of children who can participate in the full theater experience that includes acting, singing, and dance. Additional space will also allow older children to be involved in the art of costume creation and set design.
BackpackBuddy.Org-BackpackBuddy.Org Summer Program: $27,500 (Basic Needs)
BackpackBuddy.Org empowers community partners in Boone, Putnam, and Kanawha Counties to provide nutritional, personal care, and educational support to underprivileged students in their communities during the summer breaks from school. Funding from TGKVF will support food delivery to participating students.
Rea of Hope Fellowship Home, Inc.-Rea of Hope Utilities: $22,000 (Basic Needs)
Funding will support the operation of Rea of Hope’s mission to help West Virginia women suffering from alcohol and/or drug addiction by teaching the life skills and self-sufficiency required to reach sustained recovery, while promoting safe and affordable housing.
YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women & Families-YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women & Families: $27,500 (Basic Needs)
Funding will assist with operational support of the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter, a licensed 75-bed facility. This community-based program provides shelter with supportive services 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to single women, women with children, men with custody of their children, Veterans, and intact families.
Southern Appalachian Labor School-SALS Life Support: $16,500 (Field of Interest)
The Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS) will distribute food, study guides, reading materials, and books to students, seniors, and those who are disabled in rural areas of Fayette County. SALS will also set up cell, internet, and hot spot connections whenever possible to monitor and to connect those involved when social distancing and home isolation is required.
Marshall University Foundation Incorporated-Accelerating West Virginia: $57,000 (Education)
Accelerate West Virginia is a grant partnership between The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, the June Harless Center at Marshall University, and the West Virginia Department of Education. This project will provide support and guidance to Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties as they make preparations for the 2020-2021 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will focus on reaching children grades Pre-K through Third Grade in the area of early literacy while addressing the social and emotional needs of all students.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Disorders Association, Inc., WV Chapter-Expanding Services and Improving Care for Families Touched by Dementia: $40,000 (Health)
The West Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will increase its presence and outreach in Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties by working to increase equity in accurate dementia diagnoses. The Association will focus on increasing the number of families who have access to free services and who receive affordable, high-quality care and support for living better with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. By expanding its reach through the Volunteer-Powered Program Delivery Initiative, The Alzheimer’s Association will enable more education programs and increased access to care and support programs in underserved areas.
TEAM West Virginia Children, Inc.-ACEs Coalition of West Virginia: $23,700 (Health)
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Coalition of West Virginia will serve organizations and individuals in Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties through education, awareness, and prevention of ACEs. The Coalition advocates for resources that support best practices and reduce the burden of ACEs, coordinates across agency boundaries to deliver the best possible services, and educates the public and influential leaders on the impact ACEs have on the health and economic problems facing West Virginia.
West Virginia Free, Inc.-Love Your Birth Control: $30,000 (Health)
This second year of funding from TGKVF will support The Know Your Options, Love Your Birth Control Campaign that is focused on increasing access to the full spectrum of contraceptive options. WV Free addresses the lack of access and education around these issues in a three-pronged approach: intensive community outreach and education; shared decision-making training on contraceptive counseling for health care providers and mental health professionals; and technical assistance to those trained. This campaign will cover the entire state of West Virginia with focuses in Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Lincoln, Fayette, and Putnam Counties.
West Virginia Health Right, Inc.-Dental Care for Impoverished Adults: $175,000 (Dental)
While approximately 50% of West Virginia Health Right, Inc.’s patients are insured through governmental insurances, adults insured through Medicaid have limited dental coverage and seniors covered through Medicare have no dental benefits. Additionally, only those veterans with a 100% service-related disability qualify for dental coverage through the Veterans Administration. WV Health Right fills these gaps for impoverished, uninsured or underinsured adults through an on-site dental clinic that serves 34 West Virginia counties and through its Mobile Dental Unit that serves the five rural counties of Boone, Clay, Logan, McDowell, and Roane. During the past year, 7,161 adults were provided a full range of dental treatments, with 4,795 of those being residents of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation’s six county service area.
Kanawha County Commission-Juvenile Drug Court Needs: $20,000 (Emergency Aid)
Kanawha County’s Juvenile Drug Court is a court-led and community supported program of early intervention to address the specific needs of its substance-abusing youth participants. The objectives of Juvenile Drug Court are to improve youth’s general functioning by reducing internal and external problems and to increase family self-sufficiency and ability to cope with life’s difficulties. The program seeks to divert non-violent juvenile offenders from the traditional Juvenile Court process to intensive, individualized treatment with the goal being to reduce future court involvement for these youth.
Mountain Mission, Inc.-Roof Replacement: $25,000 (Emergency Aid)
The Roof Replacement Project will assist Mountain Mission in securing two new roofs for its facilities in Kanawha County. The two buildings that house the food pantry, food sorting area, furniture and clothing areas, and volunteer areas are connected, yet the roofs are independent. This project will help Mountain Mission provide services without structural interferences due to leaking roofs.
REA of Hope Fellowship Home, Inc. –New Life Apartments III: $15,000 (Emergency Aid)
Due to the extreme demand for safe and supportive housing for graduates of its programs, REA of Hope (ROH) is expanding its programs for the third time since opening in 2005. ROH provides housing and rehabilitative support for women aged 18 and older who are recovering from alcohol and/or drug use and who want to remain abstinent from use. The ROH model is based on teaching women how to live without drugs and alcohol while providing safe and supportive housing for families.
University of Charleston-Naloxone Distribution Day: $30,000 (Emergency Aid)
Naloxone Distribution Day will be a one-day event held in multiple locations where community members may obtain Naxolone education and kits to take home. Locations will be spread throughout Kanawha and Putnam Counties and will be identified through overdose report data to determine the areas of highest risk. At each location, volunteers will train each person requesting Naloxone. In total, 600 kits containing 1,200 does of Naloxone will be distributed to community members during Naloxone Distribution Day.
Walking Miracles Family Foundation-Country Roads Care Assistance Program: $15,000 (Emergency Aid)
Walking Miracles Family Foundation will utilize its Care Assistance Program to provide families experiencing childhood cancer with Care Cards to cover expenses such as transportation, lodging, and food incurred in accessing treatment. The various costs associated with travel are a major barrier to accessing cancer treatment for many families. In West Virginia, this burden is severe as many rural areas have no public transportation system or healthcare facilities. This assistance will ensure that every West Virginia child will receive cutting-edge cancer care.
West Virginia Council of Churches-We Are All Kin: $20,000 (Emergency Aid)
The West Virginia Council of Churches will increase the services and resources available to meet the growing needs of foster, adoptive, and kinship (FAK) families by: building capacity within FAK families; establishing a formalized network of FAK parents; building FAK support from faith and local communities; and by expanding the knowledge base concerning FAK families’ needs and available resources. Funding from TGKVF will support project supervision and accountability, project coordination and travel, and conference scholarships for families in Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties.
West Virginia University Foundation, Inc.-Feeding Dreams in Kanawha County: $20,000 (Emergency Aid)
The West Virginia Family Nutrition program and Feeding Dreams are partnering to provide 450 low-income Kanawha County residents with meal kit boxes each week for six weeks in the Fall of 2020. Meal kit boxes contain fresh produce and nutrient-dense dry food and well as information on healthy cooking and recipes. Box distribution will be paired with nutrition education classes and activities provided by the Family Nutrition Program, which is designed to address food security and issues in access while also providing education on healthy eating and stretching food dollars.
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation is grateful to our community of generous donors who make these and other grants possible. The programs and work approved for the second quarter of 2020 distributions are supported by the following funds:
Anonymous/Dental; Anonymous/Emergency Aid; Honor J. Davis, II; Zelma Drennen, Memorial; James F. Duncan; Mr. and Mrs. William L. Goldsmith, Memorial; Blanche Jacobson; Alfred and Lucy W. McClung; McJunkin-Jones; Mary S. Moses; L. Newton and Katherine S. Thomas; Nancy Gay Randolph; Ann Bond and Thomas R. Stephens.