GREENWICH SENTINEL | Greenwich United Way Announces 2020 Community Grants
The Greenwich United Way will award its first round of grants to local health, education and self-sufficiency programs across 21 partner agencies at the Community Investment Grant Recipient Reception on February 12 at Greenwich Hospital. Grant recipients include: Abilis, Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Building One Community, Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, Community Centers Inc. of Greenwich, Family Centers, Filling in the Blanks, Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, Horizons at Brunswick School, Jewish Family Services of Greenwich, Kids In Crisis, Laurel House, Liberation Programs, Neighbor to Neighbor, Pacific House, Pathways, Inc., River House Adult Day Center, The Rowan Center, Transportation Association of Greenwich (TAG), YMCA of Greenwich, and YWCA of Greenwich. Grants are made to programs in priority areas – mental health, self-sufficiency and early childhood education – as identified by the results of comprehensive research conducted by the Greenwich United Way.
Greenwich United Way Community Investment grants are awarded to local organizations based on submission of grant applications and a rigorous review process by dozens of community volunteers. Greenwich United Way volunteers on the Community Investment Process committee review grant applications from human services agencies that serve Greenwich residents and visit program sites. Following intensive evaluation of the financials, applications and other data, trained volunteers recommend funding to the Greenwich United Way Board of Directors. The Community Investment Process is guided by the research of local needs as published in Greenwich United Way Needs Assessment Report and Executive Summary.
“Our Grants Reception is a great way for the community to learn how the Greenwich United Way’s Community Investment Process works and the impact their dollars have on the programs we fund at each agency in town,” said David Rabin, CEO of Greenwich United Way. “Each grantee shares stories of how the grants made by the Greenwich United Way impact their respective organizations. This is all made possible by the generosity of the people of Greenwich who believe in our mission and help us aid the nearly one-third of Greenwich residents who need support.”
The following information details the specific programs receiving 2020 Community Investment Grants.
The Abilis Early Intervention Birth to Three Program offers collaborative, community-based supports for toddlers and children with developmental disabilities. The State of Connecticut refers parents to Abilis for initial evaluations to determine program eligibility. If a child qualifies for the Abilis Birth to Three program, Abilis works with the family and other caregivers to create an individualized service plan. The individualized plans determine service funds, which range on average from 5-6 hours per month for a child with minimal delays to 35-40 hours per month for a child diagnosed with autism.
Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich
The organization’s targeted STEM program provides exceptional educational and career exploration opportunities. It is part of after-school programming available on weekdays from 2:45 to 9 pm during the academic year and from 8:30 am to 5 pm on school vacation days. Everything is included for an annual fee of $50 per child. On a typical afternoon, children will eat healthy snacks and rotate with their grade levels for homework help, art and crafts, reading or computer time. Children may also enroll in swim lessons, yoga, cooking, flag football, Lego Robotics or character development. In summer, the Club offers camps to families.
Building One Community: The Center for Immigrant Opportunity is a welcoming point of entry for newcomers from all parts of the world, bringing together services to meet their various needs.
Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut Inc.
The Child and Family Therapy (CFT) program provides a range of clinic-based assessment and treatment services for children and teens that improve daily functioning. By mitigating the harmful effects of emotional problems and trauma on future development and increasing parent confidence and competence in addressing the unique needs of their children. Clinicians conduct detailed intakes to assess the child’s development, family history, culture and environment.
Community Centers Inc. of Greenwich
The organization’s What’s Next for High School Students program assists Greenwich High School students in either continuing their education or successfully entering the workforce.
The Early Education Center of Excellence consists of The Grauer Preschool, The Gateway Preschool, Joan M. Warburg Infant Toddler Center and The Armstrong Court Preschool. As part of the Center of Excellence, the Early Care and Education program is an accredited, full-day, year-round program for children aged 6 weeks through 5 years. It combines a high-quality educational experience with full day care for working parents.
Filling in the Blanks fights childhood hunger by providing children in need with meals on the weekends.
Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County
The Food Bank addresses food insecurity by providing emergency food to agencies and programs to distribute to those in need. The Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization located in lower Fairfield County.
The Horizons at Brunswick Student Enrichment Program addresses the achievement gap in town by helping students from Greenwich Title I schools to improve their educational outcomes by providing academic and swimming instruction, enrichment opportunities, mentoring and guidance in a nurturing community of dedicated professionals and volunteers.
Jewish Family Services of Greenwich
Supermarketing for Seniors is a free, non-discriminatory, grocery shopping and case monitoring program for homebound Greenwich seniors. New clients may meet with a registered dietician and are matched with a trained, screened shopper.
SafeHaven is a program in which counselors answer Helpline calls from community members and children in crisis themselves. They assess needs and de-escalate crises by phone or in-person meetings 24 hours per day.
Thinking Well was created to address the long-term cognitive impairment that interferes with the daily lives of people with serious mental illness. The program blends two basic techniques to address cognitive impairment: cognitive remediation and compensatory cognitive training.
The Recovery Coach program aids recoverees through the tumultuous first steps of recovery, which includes assessing and striving to improve the recoveree’s overall health. The agency provides services for youth, adults and families, including inpatient treatment programs, outpatient services, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), specialized treatment programs for older adults and people living with HIV/AIDS. Also provided is treatment and resources for adolescents and their families, education, prevention, and wellness efforts in the community and permanent supportive housing.
The Food Pantry provides Greenwich residents with income below 200% of federal poverty guidelines with three days’ worth of food for each member of the family each week. Eligible clients are able to choose from a healthy array of food in their “client choice” pantry. A nutritionist-designed point system assures that clients receive food that will allow them to prepare healthy meals
The Young Adults program aims to meet the immediate critical needs of homeless young adults ages 18-24 with enhanced facilities (separate dormitory space within the shelter outfitted with desks and study area) and dedicated case managers with experience dealing with the unique needs of this age group. The goal is to connect clients with services they may not know are available to them and to keep them off the streets where they are most vulnerable.
The Neuropsychological & Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) program uses cognitive remediation to improve cognition such as attention, processing speed, immediate learning and memory, verbal working memory and problem solving. This supports the Fellowships Day program.
River House Adult Day Center is an accredited medical model adult day care center, open six days a week, providing medical support, personal care, emotional support and therapeutic recreation improving the quality of life for aging adults and those who care for them.
Serving the eight towns of lower Fairfield County since 1979, The Rowan Center provides free, 24-hour confidential help to men, women and children who have experienced sexual assault. The organization can assist a victim from the time he/she enters the emergency room, throughout making a police statement, to preliminary court proceedings for trial. They can also be with the victims as the healing takes place, delivering goal-oriented counseling. Additionally, The Rowan Center provides age- and developmentally-appropriate awareness and prevention education for children ages 4-18 and for the community at large.
Transportation Association of Greenwich
The Greenwich Health Rides (GHR) Dial-a-Ride Program provides approximately 16,000 trips to the seniors and disabled of Greenwich. The program operates Monday through Saturday from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm. They sometimes provide rides for dialysis patients.
The Early Learning Center Childcare and Preschool Program serves children from six weeks to four-years-old and includes both full- and half-day preschool programs. It provides a developmentally-appropriate learning environment to foster children’s socio-emotional, cognitive, creative and physical development.
The Domestic Abuse Services Mental Health Counseling provides 24-hour counseling. Callers are screened for safety and level of present danger. Through a strengths-based, empowerment model of client-defined advocacy, counselors guide victims to set their own goals while moving toward independence.