Fall 2007 Grants awarded from the WACF General Fund

The General Fund of the Walker Area Community Foundation recently received $397,059 in grant requests for its second grant cycle of the calendar year. From that amount the Foundation was able to award $187,200 to local nonprofit organizations which will result in almost $1,832,966 in community improvements and new and sustained initiatives for our area.  The following nonprofits received grants for their projects:

The Foundation awarded a grant to Alabama Power Service Organization – Gorgas Chapter to support their Share-a-Toy program which supplies toys for approximately 2,300 Walker County children in need at Christmas.

The American Red Cross received a grant to aid in the purchase and renovation of the Walker County Service Center 's new facility on Viking Drive .  This new facility will provide the Red Cross much needed space to increase the number of trainings offered for volunteer preparedness as well as enable Red Cross staff to expand programs needed to facilitate disaster response.

The ARC of Walker County provides services to people with developmental disabilities.  Without their services, choices for these individuals would be very limited and many would have to live in state institutions.  The Arc of Walker County's clientele has greatly increased, so they have purchased the old Clark Embroidery Building to replace a leased facility that housed adult services and some administration.  This grant funded a portion of a two-phase parking lot project at the new facility on Russell Dairy Road .

The Birmingham Architectural Foundation (BAF) seeks to increase awareness and encourage improvement of the built environment.  dream Architecture is a community outreach program of BAF designed to promote public awareness of architecture and sustainable design.  In doing so, they conduct the dream Architecture Contest in which high school students learn how the built environment can create livable communities and cause less harm to the environment .

Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Systems Services , or BREMSS, purchases Emergency Medical Services equipment for EMS providers in Walker County at 30% under the existing cost of equipment due to bulk biding.  Participating Walker County EMS response organizations will be asked to provide a 50% cash match to the Community Foundation's grant which will allow them to receive double the amount of equipment at a lower price.

In 2006, the Girl Scouts of the USA took bold steps to defy the tradition, re-brand the image, and transform the Girl Scout Movement to be more adaptive, innovative and girl-centered.  The national board of directors realigned is councils and as part of the merger the Cahaba Girl Scout Council has to improve their technology.  This grant is to support this technological advancement.

The Capstone Rural Health Center provides access to affordable high quality, comprehensive, culturally appropriate, primary health care while providing a teaching-learning environment for nursing and other health-related students.  The center is moving to a new facility and this grant will build a walking track on the property so that the medical staff can monitor and encourage the overall well-being of its patients.

Through the environment created by the Celebrate Recovery approach, individuals and families are given hope and affirmation they can overcome the addictions and related life struggles present in their lives.  This grant will allow this program to send individuals to rehab, offer recovering addicts counseling and educate school children and teens on the dangers of substance abuse.

Citizens for a Drug Free Walker County (CDFWC) is looking for solutions to the growing drug problem in Walker County .  CDFWC tries to make the citizens of Walker County , as well as local law enforcement, aware of whom the drug dealers are in our community and by doing so make Walker County a more respectable and drug free environment.

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The United Way of Central Alabama, Inc. (UWCA) at the request of the Walker Area Community Foundation and officials from Walker County has participated in a broad-based community task force investigating the potential for refining and expanding a Para transit system to supplement the fixed route service available in Jasper.  This grant supports the efforts to establish the infrastructure to maintain a Para transit network that integrates existing transit resources, identifies matching funds to sustain Para transit, and networks transit in a manner that will serve all of the residents of Walker County .

Daybreak provides comprehensive domestic violence services in our geographic area, making victims lives safer and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.  Last year Daybreak was involved in a renovation and building project.  This grant will supplement the development of this new space with kitchen and dining materials and a security system.

Hope Clinic provides medical and pharmaceutical care for uninsured, qualified residents of Walker County using volunteer, professional staff.  In 2005, the Walker Area Community Foundation agreed to match every dollar given to Hope Clinic up to $50,000.  This grant is our final gift honoring this commitment to the clinic. To date this Clinic has been able to secure and distribute over $3,000,000 worth of life sustaining medicine to residents of Walker County .

The Haleyville Historical Society promotes the discovery and preservation of the history, folklore, historical sites and artifacts of Haleyville and the outlying areas.  This grant will offer assistance in the restoration by a professional art conservator of a rare Works Progress Administration mural, one of fewer than two dozen in existence in Alabama . The mural is in the Haleyville Public Library.

Independent Living empowers people with disabilities to fully participate in their community.  This grant will enable Independent Living to assist older people and people with disabilities in making their homes accessible, thereby increasing their independence and allowing them to remain in their homes.

Invest For the Future. Many students today lack financial tools and a basic understanding of economic investments, Through the generosity of Sam Adams, Adams Insurance (Montgomery) and the Alabama Council on Economic Education; the Walker Area Chamber of Commerce and the Walker Area Community Foundation teamed up to bring this exciting program to schools in our area. The funds will be invested and managed entirely by students at two high schools in the Walker County / City schools.  Each "invest group" has at least one teacher/advisor who must sign off on the investment decisions made by the students.

The Montgomery Institute seeks to have communities with good jobs, good schools and good quality of life led by informed, principle-centered citizen leaders who collaborate in a regional approach to development.  This grant supports the West Jasper Elementary School 's FIRST LEGO League Challenge team, giving them the opportunity to engage in robotics building, team work and critical thinking while providing a pipeline for students to become more interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 

The Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama (NRCA) strengthens and supports Alabama 's nonprofit organizations in serving their communities.  This grant will bring the NRCA's educational programs, targeted at nonprofits and professional advisors, to Walker County for a series of capacity development workshops.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Theatre's Touring Groups travels to elementary schools throughout Alabama performing shows that expose children to the arts while teaching them a love of reading, cultural understanding and appreciation of the performing arts.  Through this grant, the production is free for all Walker County and Jasper City elementary schools that choose to participate.

The Walker County Christian Chorus presents the classical music work Handel's “Messiah” in Walker County to open the Christmas season.  This presentation offers singers the opportunity to perform for many individuals who otherwise would not be exposed to the performing arts, especially the orchestra.

The Walker County Volunteer Firefighter Association represents 26 fire departments and other affiliated emergency organizations and seeks to improve the quality of the emergency services in Walker County .  This grant is for the technology needed to fully prepare their member departments to respond to al types of emergencies.

The purpose of the Walker County Humane Society is to prevent and relieve animal suffering, extend humane education to the public; provide for and temporarily shelter unwanted animals and to otherwise serve the animals' welfare needs.   The Society disposes of a large number of euthanized animals every week so this grant will purchase a crematoria to more appropriately address this issue, all while improving the efficiency and operations of the Humane Society.

The General Fund of the Walker Area Community Foundation has two grant cycles each year.   In our spring cycle, $119,953 was given to 12 nonprofit organizations.  With the addition of the $187,200 in fall grants, $307,153 has been given to 30 nonprofit organizations this year. The cumulative amount from all of the Foundation's funds invested in local nonprofits and initiatives in 2007 is $487,420.

Samuel Lee Smith Advised Fund Awards First Grants in 2007

The Samuel Lee Smith Advised Fund (SLSAF) has been busy.  The fund held it's first-ever Lee Smith Scramble in May raising over $17,000.   Late this summer, the fund distributed $6,750 in grants to the community bringing their total amount given away in the year 2007 to $16,370.  As you will remember, the purpose of the Samuel Lee Smith Advised Fund is to help children and youth live their lives to the fullest by encouraging athletics, scouting, religion and the arts – especially to those who need financial assistance. 

The fund awarded a grant to the North Highlands School's Swim Program which offers swimming lessons at the Memorial Park Natatorium for children with disabilities. 

Equines Assisting Special Individuals (EASI ) provides safe and effective therapeutic horseback riding activities for individuals with disabilities and special needs in Walker County and surrounding areas.  This grant will help grow the number of participants in this program

The fund gave a partial scholarship to First United Methodist Church 's Mother's Day Out program for a client of the Arc of Walker County .  The Arc of Walker County provides services to people with developmental disabilities.   

The fund gave Club NAT scholarships for students in need attending their summer camp.  Club NAT is located at the Memorial Park Natatorium and offers participants the opportunity to learn different sporting events and forms of art.

Two Club NAT participants were given the opportunity to attend the Glen Clem Memorial Basketball Camp through scholarships from the SLSAF.

The Walker Area Community Foundation's APEX Fund received a grant to aid in the construction of the handicapped accessible playground at Memorial Park.  APEX allows children with and without disabilities the ability to enjoy the playground facilities together.

The Samuel Lee Smith Advised Fund is a component fund of the Walker Area Community Foundation. For more information visit us online at www.wacf.org