York County Community Foundation recently awarded nearly $216,000 in grants to several area nonprofits from its Fund for York County, the Community Foundation’s most flexible fund to address community needs. These grants were awarded through the Strategic Community Grants program to nonprofit organizations whose proposals addressed one of the Community Foundation’s three focus areas: Education, Downtown Revitalization, or Nonprofit Strategic Alliances.
DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION GRANTS
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church received $4,200 to support its concert series at the historic Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist located on North Beaver Street, which will bring more people downtown.
Steam Into History received $10,000 to deliver a historical, educational, and entertaining experience on a steam locomotive that takes its riders back into history and helps revitalize downtown New Freedom.
York Habitat for Humanity received $9,000 for its Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative that will help low-income homeowners in blighted York City neighborhoods with home repair projects such as: facade improvements, safety issues, and weatherization efforts.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE GRANT
Leg Up Farm, Inc. received $10,000 to expand services to provide vocational training for young adults with special needs through the acquisition of York County Able-Printers, a proven vocational training program.
Community First Fund received $40,000 to develop and implement the New Market Tax Credit Program bringing an added redevelopment tool to York City.
EDUCATIONAL GRANTS
Byrnes Health Education Center received $10,000 to deliver health education to the students of the School District of the City of York during the 2014 – 2015 school year.
Child Care Consultants, Inc. received $5,000 for its Eat Healthy York! Program. The program will offer a two hour nutrition workshop for home-based child care providers and will also produce a healthy eating/healthy habits video for parents.
Communities In Schools received $70,000 to develop and coordinate student support services in York City schools to help students stay in school and meet academic goals.
Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries received $10,000 for its Weekend Alternative Program for 12-18 year olds involved with the court system. The program will focus on a wide range of concerns including: social adversities, school issues, family dysfunction, accountability for probation violations and drug and alcohol issues.
Human Life Services received $1,620 to support the “1-2-3 Magic” parenting program. Through this program, parents of two to twelve-year-olds will learn how to teach responsibility to their children, establish boundaries, achieve obedience without abuse, and train their children to make good choices on their own initiative.
Martin Library received $10,000 to make the STEM Center at Martin Library into a public makerspace for children that will inspire intellectual curiosity and create a new generation of learners by teaching them how to build robots and enter competitions.
Penn-Mar Human Services, Inc. received $8,796 to establish the first program to assist high school students with intellectual disabilities in obtaining meaningful employment that promotes social interaction and inclusion in the community.
Spring Grove Area Education Fund received $2,000 to prepare and train students to engage with potential employers at a community employment fair at the high school.
United Way of York County received $5,000 to implement the Ready Freddy program, an evidence-based kindergarten readiness curriculum, into the Hanover school district.
York Academy Regional Charter School received $10,000 to purchase Rigamajig and an extended set of Imagination playground equipment that will engage children’s kinesthetic and tactile skills in the service of STEM learning.
York County Coroner’s Office received $10,000 to partner with the York County Suicide Prevention Coalition to bring the Aevidum program into York County middle and high schools. Aevidum teaches faculty and students how to identify and offer support to students who might be feeling emotionally stressed, bullied or depressed.
