FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 19, 2007
Contact: Marci Bransdorf / (410) 223-2852 / mbransdorf@aecf.org
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation Announces Direct Service Grants to Help Baltimore Families and Children in 2008 Program Includes Targeted Resources to Address HIV/AIDS in Baltimore City
Baltimore, MD – The Casey Foundation is pleased to announce its 2008 Baltimore Direct Service Grant program recipients: 33 organizations receiving grants to support their work on behalf of vulnerable children and families in Baltimore. The grants will support a range of programs, including those that help at-risk youth stay connected to their families, help low-income residents build job skills and overcome barriers to employment, and help improve the health and wellness of City residents. For the first time, the Foundation earmarked resources to support organizations addressing HIV/AIDS in Baltimore City.
“Over the last twelve years, we’ve seen the success our grantees have had in improving the lives of Baltimore’s most vulnerable kids and families,” said Scot Spencer, Manager of Baltimore Relations for the Casey Foundation. “Beginning with this year’s grants, we’ve decided to target some of our funding to organizations that are addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the city. With over 1,700 new cases reported in Baltimore City last year, we recognize the need to support organizations working to prevent new cases and those serving residents living with HIV/AIDS.”
Among the grant recipients for 2008 are: Moveable Feast, to provide nutritional meals to children of parents coping with HIV/AIDS; the Baltimore Urban Debate League, to support a series of public debates where Baltimore City youth will educate their peers and raise awareness of issues important to young people; the Oliver Community Association, for a youth business center that will help young people develop communications, marketing, and other skills needed to run a business; TuTTie's Place, an organization that helps boys aged 8-18 in the foster care and juvenile justice systems maintain a sense of family, stability and direction; and The Men’s Center, Inc., to support a program that will teach leadership and life skills to young men in East Baltimore.
“The BDSG program is able to provide much-needed resources to organizations making a real difference in the lives of Baltimore kids and families,” said Casey President Douglas W. Nelson. “The recipients of the 2008 grants are outstanding examples of organizations making a positive impact in our community.”
Through its Baltimore Direct Services Grants program, the Casey Foundation supports a wide range of innovative ideas and practices conducted by groups that serve many areas of the city. Now in its 13th year, the program gives organizations grants ranging from $2,000 to $20,000 for one year; grantees are then eligible to receive up to half of the original grant amount for a second year. Associated Black Charities, an organization founded in 1985 to represent, respond to, and foster coordinated leadership on issues affecting Maryland’s African-American communities, administers the Baltimore Direct Services Grants program on behalf of the Casey Foundation.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, based in Baltimore, is a private charitable organization dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families. For more information about the Annie E. Casey Foundation, please contact Marci Bransdorf at (410) 223-2852.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation Baltimore Direct Services Grants Program Recipients for 2008 are:
Art on Purpose Incorporated, www.artonpurpose.org, to support an ongoing art workshop and youth leadership program at the Baltimore Freedom Academy.
Baltimore Child Abuse Center, Inc., (410) 396-6147, to support the center’s medical clinics ability to provide children who have been sexually abused with free forensic exams, counseling, and referral services.
Baltimore Curriculum Project Inc., www.baltimorecp.org, to support the Hampstead Hill Academy’s Food for Life program that addresses food, nutrition, and healthy eating.
Baltimore Urban Debate League, www.budl.org, to support a series of peer-to-peer debate programs that will allow young people to raise awareness of issues around HIV/AIDS and violence.
Child First Authority, Inc., www.childfirstauthority.org, to support “Kids with a Statement,” a new arts media and peer-to-peer education project that will address issues of concern expressed by youth.
Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, Inc., www.CCTarts.com, to support after school theatrical arts classes at John Ruhrah Elementary School and Highlandtown Elementary School.
Community Law in Action, www.communitylawinaction.org, to support the Life Plans for Youth Action Workshop, a program that creates individualized reentry life plans for juveniles awaiting trial in the City.
Dyslexic Tutoring Program, Inc., www.maday.org, to support a one-on-one tutoring program that serves over 225 low-income children and adults in the Baltimore area.
Echo House Multi-Service Center Inc., www.echo-house.org, for a program that serves residents threatened with the immediate loss of housing or shelter and who do not have the resources to prevent eviction.
HOPE Worldwide, www.hopeww.org, to support a mentoring and tutoring program at the Academy of Success Youth Center.
Incentive Mentoring Program, Inc., www.dunbar-imp.org, to support a multi-faceted mentoring and student development program at Dunbar High School.
Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, Inc., www.maryland.ja.org, to provide economic and financial literacy education to Baltimore City fifth graders attending Title One Schools.
Magical Experiences Arts Company, experiences@zcloud.net, to support a series of interactive theater workshops for children and adolescents with severe multiple disabilities and emotional disturbances.
Maryland Society for Sight, Inc., www.mdsocietyforsight.org, to provide vital vision screening for 1,000 preschoolers to ensure that they arrive at school ready to learn.
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, www.mvlslaw.org, to support Project HEAL, which provides free civic legal services to low-income families at the Harriet Lane Clinic and Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Mercy Foundation, Inc., www.mdmercy.com, to support nutrition, meals, and an arts program at Catherine’s Hearth, a new support center for homeless families under Mercy’s Children’s Health Outreach Project.
Moveable Feast Inc., www.mfeast.org, to prepare and deliver meals to the children and families of clients living with HIV/AIDS.
National Museum of Ceramic Art & Glass, Inc., sgb23art@verizon.net, to support the Ceramic Art Middle School that serves nearly 8,000 youths in 36 Baltimore City schools.
New Pathways, Inc., www.newpathways.org, to support a program that teaches young adults in foster care to advocate for themselves, build supportive relationships, and take control of their lives.
Oliver Community Association, olivercommunity@attglobal.net, to support the Business Center for Youth, a program that will help participants develop communication, marketing, and other entrepreneurial skills.
Park Heights Community Health Alliance, www.phcha.org, to support community outreach for a program that provides regular primary health services for under- or uninsured men and their families.
Parks & People Foundation for Baltimore Recreation and Parks, www.parksandpeople.org, to support SuperKids Camp, a program to help elementary school kids maintain their reading skills over the summer.
People’s Community Health Clinic, Inc., www.peopleschc.org, to support its HIV Primary Care Outreach program, designed to connect individuals living with HIV/AIDS to the clinic’s health care team.
Pimlico Road Youth Program, Inc., www.pryp.org, to support an afterschool academic and arts program.
Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc., www.sisterstogetherandreaching.org, to support the Women’s Wellness Project, which will provide HIV/AIDS support services and prevention education to women.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baltimore, Inc., www.vincentbaltimore.org, to enhance and expand the Adelante Familia Victims Support Group, which serves Spanish-speaking victims of domestic violence.
Sylvan Beach Foundation, www.sylvanbeachfoundation.org, to support a residential program that provides young men with in-house GED classes and the opportunity to manage the Sylvan Beach ice cream business.
The Men’s Center, Inc., themenscenter@hotmail.com, to support a youth Rites of Passage program focusing on young black males in the Historic East Baltimore area, teaching leadership and other life skills.
The Peace Project Inc., www.peaceprojectbaltimore.org, to support the Media Arts Risk Reduction Collaboration, which allows at-risk youth to learn how to operate studio equipment and produce a video.
The Stadium School Youth Dreamers, www.youthdreamers.org, to support afterschool and summer programming and provide youth development to students in the Youth Dreamers Project class.
TuTTie’s Place, www.tuttiesplace.org, to support “Building Blocks,” a program that provides selfdevelopment and educational activities for the adolescent boys and young men who reside at TuTTie’s Place.
U.S. Dream Academy, Inc., www.usdreamacademy.org, to support the Academy’s online academic support, mentoring, and character building services provided to elementary and middle school kids in East Baltimore.
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, www.wolftrap.org, to provide arts-based professional development activities for early childhood educators of disadvantaged kids in Baltimore City Public Schools.
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