Community Foundation Spring 2013 Leadership Grant Recipients Announced
Jul. 1, 2013
Through strategic Leadership Grants the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines plays a key role in providing significant funding to projects that strengthen Greater Des Moines by proactively responding to community trends and opportunities. The Community Foundation announces support of the following organizations with Leadership Grants:
Boys
& Girls Clubs of Central Iowa
A
$50,000 Leadership Grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa supports the
establishment of the Bernie and Berniece Baker Club at Amos Hiatt Middle
School. The establishment of Baker Club will increase daily services to 150
students and will be the first step in creating a direct "feeder pattern" for
students to move from elementary to high school clubs within the Boys and Girls
Club's system, better increasing assistance to students and their families on
their path to high school graduation.
Contact:
Jodi Warth; 515.262.5695 ext.208
Des Moines
"I Have a Dream" Foundation
A
$100,000 Leadership Grant (issued as a matching challenge grant) to Des Moines
"I Have a Dream" Foundation supports the development of a new model for
educational intervention to ensure more kids in the community have tools they
need to graduate from high school and be prepared for post-secondary education
and careers. This strategy implements a new model of adopting an entire school
(Findley Elementary) as opposed to one particular class as done previously. The
program is committed to infusing a culture of college and career from an early
age within a school setting. The "Dreamer Academy" to be conducted at Findley
Elementary will provide an incentive program for students to earn up to $400
per year to be deposited into an educational savings account.
Contact:
Emily Hamilton; 515.271.1976
Des
Moines Public Schools
A
$50,000 Leadership Grant to Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) supports efforts
of the Governor and Mayor Initiative-Des Moines Public Schools AmeriCorps Program
administered through the Corporation for National and Community Service. The
DMPS AmeriCorps Program will provide resources to improve at-risk students'
academic performance and school engagement. This will be achieved through the
use of AmeriCorps members to tutor students in 38 Elementary schools,
career-based mentoring support at 10 middle schools and service learning
programming at eight International Baccalaureate schools. Currently there are
15 AmeriCorps members serving the schools and implementation of this expanded
program would increase this number to 68 AmeriCorps members within Des Moines
Public Schools.
Contact: Eric Whitney; 515.242.7944
Iowa
Homeless Youth Centers
A
$100,000 Leadership Grant to Iowa Homeless Youth Centers supports the
refurbishment of unused Section 8 duplex housing to serve as the new Lighthouse
Host Home. The Lighthouse is a transitional living program that provides safe
and stable housing for homeless mothers (ages 16-25) and their children, along
with providing basic life skills training. The new Lighthouse facilities will
increase available housing for homeless young women and their children as well
as provide units that are more conducive to independent living along with a centrally
located community center and meeting space, private counseling room and offices
for the Iowa Homeless Youth Centers staff.
Contact:
Rhonda Clark-Leyda; 515.265.1222