By Andrea Mujica, HoumaToday.com

http://www.houmatoday.com/news/20180606/foundation-awards-230000-in-grants-to-local-nonprofits

 

Local nonprofits received more than $200,000 today to help them pursue their various missions.

The Bayou Community Foundation awarded grants to 29 Terrebonne and Lafourche nonprofit organizations.

Since 2013, the Bayou Community Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in grants to local nonprofits with the mission to “strengthen (the) local capacity to create a compassionate and sustainable coastal community for generations to come.”

This year, there was a total of $230,000 awarded, the largest in a single year by the foundation so far.

BCF Chairman Dr. James Leonard said it was a day of celebration as grants were awarded to nonprofits that “are changing people’s lives for the better and making (the) entire Bayou Region an even better place to live and work.”

He added that the 29 grant awards “demonstrate the care and compassion we have for our fellow residents and our commitment to strengthening this unique place we call home.”

BCF Vice President Rene David said the money each year comes from the Gheens Foundation, Give NOLA Day contributions, family foundations and private donors.

At the end of the ceremony, BCF Director Jennifer Armand announced that two other organizations would receive grants from the Callais Family Foundation through BCF.

“We are honored to make two special grant presentations that demonstrate the power of the partnership between BCF and local family foundations,” Armand said.

Restore or Retreat received $2,500 for an educational program for tenth graders in the area to learn about career opportunities in coastal restoration related fields called Working For The Coast. And Friends of Bayou Lafourche received $9,675 for an outreach program to educate residents and visitors about the importance of Bayou Lafourche in the community.

The 29 local non-profits that received grants today are:

• • Faith Ministries — $1,000 for a Hunger Relief Project.

• • Girls on the Run Bayou Region — $2,500 to work on program enrollment for needy students.

• • Grand Caillou Middle School — $3,500 to purchase games and activities for alternative recess room.

• • Gulf Coast Social Services — $5,000 for its Enhanced Mentoring Program for at-risk youth.

• • LUMCON — $5,000 to provide learning opportunities at LUMCON for students from disadvantaged schools.

• • St. Francis Vegetable Garden — $5,000 for funding support for garden management.

• • VIA Link — $5,000 to continue operating its Teen Crisis Text Line in Lafourche and Terrebonne.

• • Rev. Lloyd Wallace Community Center — $5,000 to purchase new technology for Beyond the Bell after-school program.

• • Women’s Restoration — $5,000 to purchase furnishings and equipment for start-up of recovery program.

• • Bayou Council Behavioral Health Services — $6,000 to support its Parent Education Program.

• • Jacob’s Ladder — $6,500 to continue operating its Celebrate Recovery re-entry program for incarcerated adults.

• • M.D. Wright Academic Center — $7,500 for tutoring programs for at-risk youth.

• • Options for Independence — $8,000 for substance abuse counseling training for family therapists.

• • START Corporation — $8,000 for its Functional Family Therapy Child Welfare Program.

• • Fletcher Foundation — $8,200 to purchase a trailer for commercial vehicle operators program.

• • CASA of Terrebonne — $10,000 for child advocate volunteer recruitment and public outreach campaign.

• • Catholic Community Center — $10,000 for the expansion of their Food Bank in Galliano.

• • Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center — $10,000 for its Family Values Program for expectant parents.

• • The Haven — $10,000 to support its Violence Prevention Program for students in Terrebonne and Lafourche.

• • Lafourche Education Foundation — $10,000 to support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

• • MacDonell Children’s Services — $10,000 for program development to help those teenagers aging out of foster care.

• • New Life Counseling Center — $10,000 to work on its Access to Care counseling program for underserved residents.

• • Second Harvest Food Bank — $10,000 for food distribution and Mobile Pantry in Terrebonne, Lafourche and Grand Isle.

• • St. Vincent de Paul Tri-Parish Pharmacy — $10,000 to provide free medication to the poor and elderly.

• • Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence — $10,000 for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for Pre-K and Kindergarten students at low-performing Terrebonne public schools.

• • Friends of the PACT Place — $10,500 for Monitors for PACT Place supervised visitation and exchange site.

• • Lafourche ARC — $10,800 for a vehicle awning and enclosed trailer for Workforce Development Program.

• • Hope Restored Pregnancy Resource Center — $12,500 for a Doppler ultrasound machine.

• • Terrebonne ARC — $15,000 to purchase commercial kitchen equipment for new bakery.