1/3/2013 - South Side Leader
     

GREATER AKRON — Local children’s programs recently got a boost when the Millennium Fund for Children of Akron Community Foundation (ACF) approved 34 grants totaling $48,000. The grants will support arts, education, social service and health programs for Akron-area youths and bring the fund’s cumulative grant-making total to $498,909, according to ACF officials.

A partnership of the Akron Beacon Journal and the ACF, the Millennium Fund for Children began in 1999 when local residents donated their last hour’s pay of the millennium to create a permanent source of funding for local children’s programs. Since then, the fund has grown to nearly $700,000 and has funded beds for children in foster homes, live music and theater performances for students, food and clothing for at-risk infants and more.

ACF President and CEO John Petures Jr. said the Millennium Fund’s mission is to support programs where a small grant can make a big difference.

“Many of the fund’s grantees are grassroots organizations,” he said. “Not only are they closest to the needs of the community, they really know how to stretch a dollar.”

To donate to the Millennium Fund for Children, visit www.akroncf.org/give/mil lennium.

The following grants were awarded this year:

• ACCESS Inc., $2,000, for counseling and support services for homeless children;

• Act II Productions Illusion Factory, $1,825, for free live theater performances for children in need;

• Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, $2,000, for nutritious meal packs for children;

• Akron Community Health Resources Inc., $2,000, for a health education program for children with chronic asthma;

• Akron Community Service Center & Urban League, $500, for the Dining With Santa holiday breakfast for underprivileged children;

• Akron Rotary Foundation, $500, to purchase dictionaries for Akron Public Schools’ third-graders;

• Alchemy Inc., $1,680, to purchase backpacks and writing journals for low-income boys at Crouse Elementary, Innes Middle and Litchfield Middle schools;

• Asian Services in Action Inc., $500, for a kindergarten-readiness program for refugee children living in the Leggett and Findley community learning centers neighborhoods;

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Summit & Medina Counties, $500, for a mentoring program for at-risk students at Mason and Firestone elementary schools;

• Blessings in a Backpack — Akron, $1,000, to provide backpacks of food for the weekend to students in need at Helen Arnold Community Learning Center and the Akron Digital Academy;

• Blessings in a Backpack — Green, $1,000, to provide backpacks of food for the weekend to students in need at Green Primary School and Greenwood Early Learning Center;

• Caring for Kids Inc., $1,600, to purchase holiday and birthday gifts for children in foster care;

• CASA Board Volunteer Association Inc., $1,979, for the CASA Holiday Toy Shop, which provides gifts to abused and neglected children in the Summit County court system;

• Children’s Concert Society of Akron, $1,500, to help children from low-income families attend the Concert Hall Series;

• Christ Child Society of Akron, $2,000, to purchase diapers, wipes, blankets, bottles and books for mothers of at-risk newborns;

• Christian Fellowship Basketball League, $800, to purchase T-shirts and trophies for Get Fit Day, a physical fitness and nutrition program for inner-city youths;

• Community Pregnancy Center Inc., $2,000, to purchase formula for the Feeding Hungry Children program;

• Firestone High School Instrumental Music Association, $1,000, for an advanced musical training program for underserved children from Akron Public Schools;

• First Congregational Church of Akron, $2,000, for the Peanut Butter & Jelly Outreach Program at Mason Community Learning Center, which provides students in need with food for the weekend;

• Good Neighbors Inc., $1,500 to purchase toothpaste and toothbrushes for children in need;

• Hattie Larlham Foundation, $1,000, for the Youth Volunteer Corps program, which pairs children in the community with children with disabilities for one-on-one social activities;

• Here’s Hope Horse Farm, $2,000, for the 2013 summer therapeutic riding program for children with special needs;

• Jennings Community Learning Center, Akron Public Schools, $785, for a lunchtime walking and nutrition program that targets childhood obesity;

• Magical Theatre Company, $2,000, for anti-bullying theater productions in Akron Public Schools;

• Mobile Meals Inc., $2,000, to provide medically prescribed supplements to children in need;

• Pajama Program, Eastern Ohio Chapter, $1,000, to purchase books and cold-weather pajamas for children in need;

• Pregnancy Care of Summit County Inc., $2,000, to purchase cribs and mattresses for parents experiencing a crisis pregnancy;

• Project GRAD Akron, $1,500, for an early college awareness program that introduces disadvantaged elementary and middle school students to potential careers and the importance of higher education;

• RePlay for Kids, $1,931, to provide adapted toys and assistive devices for children with disabilities from low-income families;

• Victim Assistance Program, $1,500, for the “Kids Need a Firm Foundation” picnic for children who have witnessed or been victims of violence;

• Victory Gallop, $1,500, for Petie the Pony visits at Akron Children’s Hospital for children with life-threatening illnesses and injuries;

• Weathervane Community Playhouse Inc., $1,000, to provide scholarships to children from low-income families;

• Women’s Auxiliary Board of Summit County Children Services, $1,000, to purchase beds for children in the care of children’s services; and

• Youth Excellence Performing Arts Workshop, $900, to purchase supplies for a leadership conference for at-risk youths that focuses on building positive relationships, dropout prevention and personal excellence.

For more information on the Millennium Fund for Children, visit www.akroncf.org/millennium or call 330-376-8522.

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