Keep Manatee Beautiful is one of eight organizations to receive a Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB) 2011 Graffiti Hurts¨ Grant Program award. The annual grants were initiated in 2007 to help support grassroots programs that combat graffiti vandalism. This year, KAB expanded the grants program and added one additional $2,500 cash grant, three $2,500 Sherwin-Williams paint supply certificates and one Q-Star FlashCAM, valued at $6,100. The FlashCAM is a deterrent system effective in preventing illegal trespassing during hours it most often occurs.
Keep Manatee Beautiful’s Graffiti Hurts Education Program will help reach children who, when educated about why graffiti hurts them, their neighborhood and community, and are given an opportunity to develop a sense of respect and responsibility for their surroundings, can successfully resist peer pressure to do graffiti.
”Graffiti is a crime in which economic and social consequences impact everyone in the community,“ said Ingrid McClellan, Executive Director of Keep Manatee Beautiful. ”Graffiti sends messages that no-one cares about the property where it appears. That our community is willing to tolerate a condition many feel leads to a decline in the quality of life. Many of those who deface property by night can be found in school classrooms across America by day. According to law enforcement statistics and graffiti experts, most graffiti is the work of boys and young men ages 12 to 20. It’s not unusual, however, for children in elementary school, or girls and young women, to also be apprehended for graffiti vandalism.“
A Graffiti Hurts Poster Contest was held during 2009 to educate youth with the cash awards to be used to improve the physical appearance of their school campus. The winners’ posters were then transformed into bus bench backs and placed into neighborhoods to educate citizens about graffiti prevention. A 2nd Graffiti Hurts Poster Contest is underway this year. The Graffiti Hurts Contest judging is as follows:
Date: Friday, November 4th
Time: 9:00 a.m
Location: School Support Center’s Board Room located at 215 Manatee Ave., Bradenton 34205
Our judges have an 8:00 a.m. meeting at the School Support Center and will begin judging following the meeting. Judges (School Superintendent Tim McGonegal, Palmetto Police Chief Rick Wells and Sheriff Brad Steube) will judge the posters submitted by schools throughout the county.
This year’s other winners of the Keep America Beautiful Graffiti Hurts Grants are:
$2,500 cash grant recipients:
$2,500 Sherwin –Williams paint supply certificate recipients:
Q-Star FlashCAM recipient:
”This year’s grant recipients presented exceptional plans to educate and engage at-risk youth, and to bring entire communities together to prevent and eradicate graffiti,“ said Matthew McKenna, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. ”All of the winners developed programs that help prevent negative impacts to society through behavior change, while creating a sense of ownership for their community. We’re grateful to The Sherwin-Williams Company for its ongoing support of the Graffiti Hurts program, a nationwide resource for addressing graffiti problems.“
Responding to the blight of graffiti vandalism, Graffiti Hurts¨ was developed in 1996 through a partnership between Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest nonprofit education and community improvement organization, and The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW), maker of Krylon paint. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, graffiti contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems, reduced retail sales, and declines in the value of surrounding residential and commercial property.
”Sherwin-Williams is proud to sponsor the Graffiti Hurts program, and is dedicated to supporting initiatives that help prevent and eradicate graffiti,“ said Harvey Sass, President and General Manager, Diversified Brands Division, The Sherwin-Williams Company. ”Graffiti Hurts is effectively addressing this issue nationwide, and we commend the 2011 grant winners for their innovative plans to help stop graffiti in their communities.“
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The Board of Directors of Gulf Coast Community Foundation recently approved 11 operating and program grants totaling $651,088.
”Our Board looks for the best ways our grantmaking can lift our regional economy and sustain our community,“ said Teri A Hansen, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. ”By targeting research-backed regional priorities and investing in nonprofits with strong leadership and a proven ability to leverage other funding, we can impact more lives. It is much more of a rifle-shot approach than a shotgun approach.“
A $15,000 grant from The Venice Endowment Fund will leverage an additional $85,000 to benefit Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Sarasota-Manatee. Through its Building Strong Families program, JFCS has saved the lives and wellbeing of 184 families in North Port who were at risk of homelessness because of job or wage loss. Together with the Siemer Family Foundation, individual donors at Gulf Coast, and JFCS, this new funding will help JFCS continue to serve more families through the program in the coming year.
Whether it’s protecting against the economy’s impact on families or investing in programs that create jobs, revitalizing the regional economy is one of Gulf Coast’s highest priorities. Three grants from The Venice Endowment Fund were awarded to meet this priority.
State College of Florida Foundation received $120,000 to enable State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota to launch two new four-year degree programs, in technology management and energy management.
The Education Foundation of Sarasota County was awarded $25,000 for 50 ”Edge of Excellence“ classroom grants to fund innovative, teacher-designed learning projects. The projects funded through this grant will be in Venice, North Port, and Englewood schools, and at least half will be STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)-related.
To help individuals with barriers to employment, Goodwill Foundation was awarded $83,000 for a full-time Job Connection Specialist at Goodwill’s new North Port location.
Gulf Coast awarded six grants to help strengthen nonprofit organizations or help them reduce expenses.
Suncoast Communities Blood Bank will use a $50,000 grant from the Community Health Endowment Fund to purchase a new bloodmobile, allowing the organization to increase collections in southern Sarasota and northern Charlotte counties and serve the needs of more hospitals.
Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast will use a $64,788 operating grant from The Venice Endowment Fund to expand its outdoor education program at Bay Preserve at Osprey by launching a new artist-in-residence program. The program will attract visual, literary, and performing artists inspired by the beauty of this 4.3-acre nature preserve on Little Sarasota Bay.
Venice Area Beautification, Inc. was awarded $18,300 from The Venice Endowment Fund to train volunteers and increase its office hours. Located at the trailhead of the Venetian Waterway Park, VABI anticipates more pedestrian and bike traffic with the new US 41 Bypass overpass that connects the VWP and the Legacy Trail.
Circus Sarasota received a $50,000 operating grant to upgrade two trailers as part of a project to increase revenue by renting its Big Top. Rental income generated from the Circus Sarasota tent during the months it is not in use will support the organization’s year-round education and outreach programming. Funding for the grant comes from The Venice Endowment Fund, the Ina L. Donnan Fund, and the Margaret Lehman Endowment Fund.
Two organizations received operating grants from the Community Health Endowment Fund for new marketing and public relations campaigns. Sarasota Manatee Jewish Housing Council will use a $50,000 grant to unify the brand of its various facilities and market its services to a wider audience. Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida received $50,000 to raise awareness of its affordable healthcare services, including yearly physicals, OB/GYN exams, and breast exams.
The Gulf Coast Board also approved a $125,000 grant to Florida West Coast Public Broadcasting (WEDU) to produce new episodes of the Emmy Award-winning program A Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins during the 2012 season.
Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s next grant deadline is 4 p.m. on January 4, 2012. Grant guidelines and an online grant application are available at GulfCoastCF.org. |
The City of Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency (CCRA) was honored with the President’s Award by the Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) in Orlando, FL on October 20, 2011. The CCRA received this award for its role in the creation of CareerEdge Workforce Funders Collaborative of Manatee and Sarasota. The President’s Award is recognized as the ”best of the best“ of the twelve awards given out annually by the FRA.
CareerEdge was created with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, City of Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Bank of America, the Bradenton Downtown Authority, and Manatee Community Action Agency. It is also supported by contributions from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, Microsoft, City of Sarasota Newtown CRA, Sarasota County Government, Jane’s Trust, and Suncoast Workforce. The initiative is jointly led by the CCRA and Gulfcoast Community Foundation.
Each year the FRA honors redevelopment leaders throughout the state for implementing outstanding economic growth projects and programs in Florida. Carol Westmoreland, Executive Director of the Florida Redevelopment Association said ”This program is an outstanding example of what CRA monies can do, and how they can be leveraged for sustainable job creation and economic development.“ Founded in 1974, the FRA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting Florida professionals and volunteers in community revitalization efforts. With its mission of ”transforming spaces, revitalizing places,“ FRA is committed to providing a forum for its more than 300 members to share knowledge and common experiences regarding revitalization opportunities and issues
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