Sussex County Youth Philanthropy Board presents $10,000 in grants
The Youth Philanthropy Board of the Delaware Community Foundation for Sussex County presented $10,000 in grants to eight Sussex County organizations supporting programs for youth at an April 26 ceremony at Sussex Pines Country Club.
The DCF’s Sussex County YPB is composed of 18 students from 10 Sussex County public, independent and diocesan high schools. Since September, YPB members have been studying youth issues in their neighborhoods and schools, learning about community service and grant making. The YPB awarded the grants to programs that promote strong family life and improve personal health. The grant recipients are as follows:
Autism Delaware received a grant of $1,000, which will help 30 children attend day camp at the Children’s Beach House this summer. This camp provides children with autism with an experience similar to that of their neurotypical peers and gives families a much-needed respite from the special caregiving required for a child with this disability during the school break. The environment at Children’s Beach House is tailored to the special social, communicative, and sensory needs that autism presents. Families are provided with photos and descriptions of daily activities, as not all participants are able to communicate their experience.
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center/Delaware Nature Society received a $1,000 grant. Abbott's Mill created the Nature Education for Every Delaware Student program to provide elementary-age, lower-income and minority students in the Kent/Sussex region an opportunity to better understand the natural world while engaging in outdoor physical activity. Studies have shown that utilizing the local environment as the basis for study improves student achievement, reduces behavioral problems and connects students to a tangible, real-world topic of study.
Coverdale Crossroads was awarded $2,000. The grant will support Coverdale Crossroads Community Council Inc. in its partnership with the Woodbridge School District and First State Community Action Agency to provide after-school programs with mentoring, academic support, and job preparation for late elementary and middle school students in the Coverdale Crossroads community. Through the programs, children learn life skills, conflict resolution, positive life choices, self-esteem, and healthy food choices and preparation.
Delaware Adolescent Program Inc. was awarded $2,000. It is the only statewide comprehensive school-based program in the nation that serves pregnant and parenting teens and their families. DAPI serves the community with academic instruction, social services, child care and medical services. In addition to ensuring high school graduation for pregnant teens, DAPI provides several layers of support through programs designed to teach strong, positive and safe parenting, prevent secondary pregnancies and provide counseling as needed.
First State Community Action Agency Inc. received a $1,000 grant, which will help fund the Now We’re Cooking program, designed to provide culinary arts training to special needs high school students. The mission is to empower students to make appropriate career choices in the food service industry. The objective is to present authentic learning environments in both the classroom and the culinary arts training lab for skill development. Additionally, students learn critical problem solving, self-efficacy and interpersonal skills, all of which are necessary for success in this career choice.
Food Bank of Delaware's $1,500 grant will help fund the Kid C.H.E.F program, Cooking Healthy Easy Foods, which is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle and wellness among children and teenagers. The youth will learn to identify and prepare nutritious foods through a series of five lessons, each of which is devoted to a different food group found on the USDA’s MyPlate icon. Throughout the course, children are introduced to a wide range of items found in each group, become familiar with the correct number of daily cups or ounces for their age and learn to identify the key nutrients provided by different foods.
La Esperanza's $1,000 grant will provide 10 girls with the Growing Great Girls Gender Responsive Life Skills Curriculum. The girls will come to La Esperanza twice a week for five weeks during the summer. The curriculum includes research-based content with interactive exercises and worksheets to foster decision-making skills, social resiliency, critical thinking, emotional knowledge and self-discovery. La Esperanza is a multiservice support organization that helps Latinos in Sussex County assimilate.
Nanticoke River Arts Council received $500 and will use this money to defray the cost of its children’s art classes. Instructors teach children to use a variety of media to encourage the expression and development of creative ideas and talent and to encourage young artists to develop and participate in the arts.
The Delaware Community Foundation manages charitable funds for individuals, families, businesses and organizations, and distributes income from the funds as grants to humanitarian, educational, health and cultural entities throughout the First State. For information, call 302-856-4393 in southern Delaware or go to www.delcf.org.
