A philanthropic organization founded on the idea that collectively, women can make a real difference.
Member contributions, along with the Community Foundation's generous gifts, have enriched our community by a total of $1,704,000 in the five years since our founding.
Click here for a gallery of photos of the event.
Click here to view a video presentation of this year's grant recipients.
Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greenville (NAMI) - $43,742
For the implementation of crisis intervention training for 250 law enforcement and EMS first-responders, training them to recognize and respond appropriately and effectively when dealing with those experiencing psychiatric crises.
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) of Greenville is a grass-roots organization offering support, education and advocacy for persons with serious mental illness, their families and friends. Its mission is to improve quality of life and treatment for those who suffer from mental illness and their families.
www.namigreenvillesc.org
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Upstate, Inc. - $40,000
To recruit and train 100 new mentors who will be matched on a one-to-one basis with at-risk youth in Greenville. Big Brothers and Big Sisters work with their mentees to help them stay in school and navigate their way to responsible adulthood.
The mission of Big Brothers, Big Sisters is to help at-risk youth reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships. Adult and high school mentors are matched with children aged 6-13. Once accepted, the child may remain in the program through age 18. Most mentors remain with their mentees through high school graduation. In 2010, BBBS served 402 young people. Most of these mentees were at-risk youth, meaning they lived in a single mother home (81%), had household income of under $20,000 (64%), received free or reduced-price lunch (73%), had at least one parent incarcerated (15%).
www.bbbsupstate.com
Camp Opportunity - $49,540
To fund a summer camp week of fun in a safe, loving environment for 75 children in DSS protective custody.
Camp Opportunity was founded by volunteers in 1979 to give children living in foster care or group homes a one week "normal" summer experience. Their goal is to provide a positive experience and offer supportive services with the ultimate goal of helping break cycles of poverty and abuse. Campers who arrive unequipped are provided the necessary linens, toiletries and clothing for the week. They are sent home with a gift card to be used for purchasing school supplies and clothing. The outreach has expanded to include year-round activities, such as a Valentine's Day party, skating party, teen retreat, Easter baskets and holiday gifts for campers.
www.campopportunitygreenvillesc.blogspot.com
Camp Spearhead - $50,000
This grant will subsidize eight one-week sessions of summer camp for children and young adults with special needs, and provide full scholarships where needed.
Camp Spearhead, a program of the Greenville County Recreation District, was founded in 1968. In 8 one-week sessions, it currently provides summer camp experiences for 720 youth and adults with special needs and disabilities in a totally inclusive and accessible environment. This also offers a week's respite for their families, who are often the primary caregivers.
www.greenvillerec.com
Carolina Family Services - $40,000
To help fund Project Connect, which provides 12-week intensive, in home family therapy services for minority youth who are at risk for placement in the juvenile justice system.
Carolina Family Service was established to meet the need for short term, intensive services which include risk assessment, family therapy, individual therapy, parenting education, crisis intervention and linkage with community services. Services usually take place in the home and are designed to prevent out-of-home placement of juveniles. Project Connect specifically targets 10-16 year old minorities who have been identified through their behaviors in school or in the community to be at risk for incarceration.
www.carolinafamily.org
Clarity, Inc. - $40,000
To replace outdated and aging audiometric equipment so that infants, children and adults will have accurate hearing evaluations.
Clarity, formerly known as the Speech, Hearing and Learning Center, assesses and treats speech, hearing, learning and developmental challenges in over 1,900 children and adults annually. It was founded in 1952 and became a founding partner of the Center for Developmental Services in 2000. In 2009, Clarity audiologists evaluated 1,036 children and adults, 659 of whom were identified as having significant hearing loss. Services are provided on a sliding fee scale, providing services to all regardless of ability to pay.
www.clarityupstate.org
The Family Effect - $47,000
To help design and implement a new residential treatment protocol at Serenity Place for addicted mothers and their children. This treatment model will include intensive addiction therapy, family counseling and therapeutic child care.
Serenity Place, operated by Phoenix Center, is a residential center that allows pregnant women and young mothers and their pre-school children to live together while the mother undergoes addiction treatment and participates in family counseling and parenting classes. The children receive a minimum of 40 hours of therapeutic child care weekly. Serenity Place treats 120 mothers and children annually.
www.thefamilyeffect.org
Senior Action, Inc. - $43,718
To replace and augment insufficient and outdated furnishing so that Senior Action may continue to offer Greenville's elderly appropriate services in safe surroundings.
Since 1967 Senior Action has worked to support Greenville's mature population by providing access to resources for physical, emotional and social well-being in a safe and accommodating environment. Current participants range in age from 55 to 102 and numbered 2,644 in 2010. Senior Action has grown form 5 to 11 locations, with a 12th one scheduled to open soon. The organization offers health, wellness and fitness programs, daily meals, transportation to centers and to medical appointments, social opportunities, lifelong learning such as compute training, and volunteer opportunities. Senior Action provided 300,000 hours of programming last year.
www.senioraction.org
SC First Steps to School Readiness - $60,000
This grant will increase the capacity of the Nurse Family Partnership, which pairs a nurse with low-income, first-time mothers from pregnancy through each child's second birthday. The program provides these young mothers with in-home visits and instruction in health, parenting skills and community resources.
Greenville County First Steps works to facilitate a collaborative community partnership for measurably improving the early childhood development of all children in the county. The agency serves 3,500 individuals, focusing on education and health. The First Steps Board has made the Nurse Family Partnership its highest priority for funding and implementation.
www.scfirststeps.org
Surgeons for Sight - $40,000
To provide vision screening, eye exams, corrective lenses and cataract surgeries to Greenvillians living at or below the poverty level.
After the partners of Southern Eye Associates had volunteered for a number of years in third-world countries, providing eye exams, eyeglasses and eye surgeries, they founded Surgeons for Sight. They became aware of the great need in Greenville County and added their own community to their mission in order to help disadvantaged people receive necessary eye care. Three hundred patients were given free eye care in Greenville County in 2010. The physicians donate their time and office space, and have reduced the surgical center and anesthesia costs to $350 per cataract operation. By manufacturing eyeglasses in their own optical center, Surgeons for Sight is able to provide eyeglasses to the clients of two local free medical clinics at half the previous cost. Click here to view the video the organization has posted on YouTube.
www.surgeonsforsight.org