Encore Teams Grants Awarded
The first round of Encore Team grants has been selected and $50,000 is being split among 10 local nonprofits. The projects were evaluated on their potential to help the nonprofit meet its mission, their creative approach to engage the 50+ population and their ability to meet the needs of Encore volunteers. Following are the recipients of an Encore Team grant of $5,000:
- Catholic Charities West Michigan - To create a business plan and begin implementing a bowl (hand painted by the community) sales program to increase bowl revenue from an existing revenue stream to support the mission of God’s Kitchen while providing a valued volunteer experience for 50+ volunteers.
- Christian Reformed World Relief Committee - To enlist volunteers from local churches to develop a model for engaging people ages 50+ in volunteering and advocating for the poor in their community.
- Comprehensive Therapy Center - To develop an Encore Team, Team CTC, to conduct parenting workshops for families with low incomes, teaching caregivers how to foster literacy skills and a love of reading in their young children at home.
- Grand Valley State University (WGVU Public Broadcasting) - To increase connection and community with WGVU members and to show appreciation for members to encourage future funding support for public broadcasting.
- Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities - To restructure GAAH's volunteer program to recruit and retain volunteers in a broad array of capacities.
- Habitat for Humanity of Kent County - To train Habitat Ambassadors to go out into the community and explain Habitat's mission to civic organizations, churches or foundations for the purpose of recruiting volunteers, homebuyer partners and advocating for the homeless.
- Heartside Ministry, Inc. - To recruit and deploy a team of skilled, mature volunteers to convert our computer lab to a user-friendly online community resource center, offering open access to all available services and programs for low income, homeless and vulnerable people.
- Safe Haven Ministries Inc. - To develop a small group of committed, energized individuals who can help Safe Haven create and implement an education program for local employers that will better equip them to appropriately address issues of domestic abuse among their employees, and ensure a safe, productive environment for their workforce.
- Senior Neighbors, Inc. - To establish a foundation of volunteer programming to expand the organization's ability to help seniors and increase the quality of services provided to the community.
- South End Community Outreach Ministries (SECOM) - To fund a weekly program where a parent or caregiver and a preschool child can read, learn and play together.
You can read more about these grants here.
