Springdale, AR - The board of Directors of Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation (NWACF), Inc. awarded seven grants for $41,700 to Hope for Tomorrow Pediatric Foundation, Huntsville High School, Ozark Guidance Foundation, John Powell Senior Center, Springdale Police Department, Springdale High School, and Washington County Teen Court. The grant to Huntsville High School marks the first grant to a nonprofit organization in Madison County for NWACF. These seven grants were recommended by the Northwest Medical Center of Washington County Auxiliary Fund and later approved by NWACF Board of Directors on Friday, November 16.
"As Chair of the Northwest Medical Center of Washington County Auxiliary Grants Committee, we are pleased that these grants will help a wide variety of health and education issues, not to mention all ages in our region. We now support causes throughout our four county region of northwest Arkansas," stated Jean Indorf.
The following seven grants were made from the Auxiliary's donor advised fund in Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation. This type of fund applies to donors who wish to be actively involved with the Foundation's staff and board in recommending organizations to receive grants from their fund.
The seven organizations receiving grants are:
Hope for Tomorrow Pediatric Foundation - $5,200 to purchase physical, occupational and speech therapy equipment for use in schools.
Huntsville High School - $6,000 to provide training for the emergency response team students.
Ozark Guidance Foundation - $2,000 to provide Christmas gifts to the residents of Habberton House.
John Powell Senior Center - $10,000 challenge grant to support the renovation of the building. Funds will be payable when they have raised the balance of the $63,000 project budget.
Springdale Police Department - $5,000 for the 2001 "Shop With A Cop" program.
Springdale High School - $7,700 for the Community Based Instruction program.
Washington County Teen Court - $6,000 to cover travel expenses for six people to attend the national Youth Court conference.
Hope for Tomorrow Pediatric Foundation's mission is to provide quality occupational, physical, and speech therapy to mentally and physically challenged children in northwest Arkansas. It was formed in 1999 and is the only nonprofit, pediatric pool therapy in the region. The program can now purchase equipment to remain in the schools, eliminating the need for therapists to haul therapeutic items from schools throughout the region.
Huntsville High School will use the $6,000 grant to train 40 students in the search and rescue program, peer tutoring, and peer helping programs. The program is a partnership between the high school and American Red Cross.
Christmas will be brighter for the children receiving treatment at Habberton House, a residential treatment program run by Ozark Guidance Center. The $2,000 grant will purchase holiday gifts for the residents.
The John Powell Senior Activity Center received a $10,000 Challenge Grant to renovate the building, now 17 years old. The Center has already received a $53,000 grant from CommunityCare Foundation. Work on the Center will begin in the near future.
Springdale Policemen will once again go Christmas shopping with 50 local, needy children. The $5,000 will help buy gifts and clothes. Nurses in the Springdale School System select the children.
The Springdale School District will have $7,700 to take students with severe physical and emotional disabilities to work sites and for recreational trips to Walton Arts Center and Silver Dollar City. The program gives these students the chance to learn work-related and social skills.
Washington County Teen Court can now send six people to the national conference, courtesy of a $6,000 grant. Teen Court is a diversion program for Washington County Juvenile Court where defendants are referred for sentencing after pleading guilty. They are represented by teen attorneys and sentenced by a teen jury of their peers. Only first-time, nonviolent offenders are sent to the program. Teen Court measures its success by those who do not commit second offenses.
NWACF was founded in 1998 as the Community Foundation of Bentonville/Bella Vista. In November 1999, its purpose was expanded to include all of northwest Arkansas, and to serve as the lead public foundation operated in connection with CommunityCare Foundation. For more information, contact the website at www.nwacommunityfoundation.org.
