The Community Foundation is pleased to announce the awarding of three January Impact Grants to support area programs

posted on February 25, 2013

The Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley receive $2,500 for training of their teen center staff
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley serve at-risk youth ages 6-18 in Moline and Davenport after school and during the summer. Core programs help Club members achieve the priority areas of academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In early 2013 their new initiative, the Teen Center, will open to serve teens ages 13-18. 

Prior to opening the Teen Center, there are several administrative functions that must be completed to ensure the successful operation of the Teen Center once it is open. One of these functions is recruiting, hiring and training the staff that will work in the Teen Center.

The staff training component will consist of 5 staff participating in 24 hours of training prior to the opening of the Teen Center. Training topics will include policies and procedures, facility and equipment use, developmental characteristics of teens, supervision, discipline, daily opening/closing, programs, and much more. After the Teen Center is operational there will be 2 hours per week for staff training that will be ongoing throughout the year. This will allow the leadership team to continually engage the staff as to the expectations of their job performance and address situations or issues on a regular consistent basis. This grant will provide for 128 total hours of training.

Christian Care receives $1,500 to purchase three new computers 
Christian Care needs three computers - one for their Programs and Services Manager, who oversees all of the programs and services at the domestic violence shelter, one for their Financial and Administrative Assistant, and a third for women who reside at their domestic violence shelter. The domestic violence shelter is a home where abused women and children go to heal and rebuild their lives. The shelter is focused on a holistic healing process where residents have the opportunity to escape from unhealthy and dangerous relationships, and take the necessary steps that will help these women grow, change, and start their lives over again. 

The Programs and Services Manager had a recent scare when her computer's hard drive came close to crashing. A computer technician, who provided in-kind technical service, indicated that the laptop is several years old now and is showing signs of needing replacement. A second computer is needed for the staff member who handles all of the daily financial records. Her computer is slow and freezes up, indicating that it needs replaced. A third computer is needed to replace the computer available to their residents so they may search for jobs online, pursue a GED, and complete homework. The computer will be kept in a public area and is used only for their educational and job needs. It will replace one that was recently found to be beyond repair by their technician, who spent over two hours trying to repair it.

IMSA: Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Fund for Advancement of Education receives $1,000 to help support their Summer@IMSA programs
IMSA’s Rock Island Region Field Office is in its second year of operation and newly located at the Rock Island-Milan School District Administration building. Through this community-based regional office, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is able to offer a wide range of STEM enrichment opportunities for students across disciplines and age ranges, with a focus on grades 3-12. Local STEM programming is offered for all Rock Island Region students with a recruitment focus on historically under-represented populations in STEM (low-income, minorities, and females.) IMSA's Rock Island Region Field Office offers multiple opportunities for involvement at varying levels of depth. IMSA is also able to offer locally held STEM focused professional development programs for teachers at all levels of their career through the relationships created and maintained by the Rock Island Region Field Officer.

The IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education respectfully requests the support of Summer@IMSA programs, a week-long full day science and mathematics based summer program for 144 upcoming 3rd-8th grade students to be held June 2013. Students utilize discovery, exploration, and problem-solving in innovative, engaging ways. Each year there are new themes and each day there are new topics to keep students engaged and interested. This year, students in 3rd/4th grade will explore science and math that includes “odd-ologies,” the science and math behind popular tablet and i-pad apps like “Angry Birds” and “Cut the Rope”, and things that go “Boom, Whoosh, and Splat”. Students in 5th/6th grade will solve a medical mystery by investigating the human body, diseases, and diagnostics. Students in 7th/8th grade will explore the science and math of sports by playing sports. In addition, IMSA collaborates with local colleges and universities to recruit undergraduate students as instructors for the program, providing them with a mentored teaching experience.

For more information on Impact Grants please click here.