RSSYakima Valley Community Foundation announces grant recipients
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YAKIMA — Larry Mattson of the Yakima Youth Soccer Association knows nonprofit groups and foundations are hurting. So when he received a $46,000 grant on Wednesday, he was blown away.
"I was ecstatic," said Mattson, project manager for the Central Washington Soccer Center. "This is a fantastic shot in the arm."
The soccer association was one of 24 groups that received a grant from the Yakima Valley Community Foundation during a Wednesday luncheon. The foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life for Yakima County residents, in such areas as health care, the arts and education.
It gave away $385,000 in competitive grants to nonprofit agencies. The Youth Advisory Council, made up of local high school students, awarded an additional $50,000.
The money was the first major gift to the soccer association and will be used to purchase equipment, Mattson said.
The group is entering into a long-term lease with Yakima to build a soccer complex on 35 acres east of Interstate 82 and south of Nob Hill Boulevard. Kids will begin using the fields by 2011, Mattson said.
"The project is moving forward," Mattson said. "I'm so grateful and thankful to the foundation for stepping up."
The Youth Advisory Council receives its funding from the Helen N. Jewett Endowment for Philanthropy. The endowment was established when the late Jewett donated $1.25 million to the foundation. From interest earned, $50,000 will be awarded each year in perpetuity.
The 2008 grant recipients are:
* Allied Arts: $5,000. The funds will support "The Latino Cultural Film Series" project, a three-part film series that focuses on art, history, music, immigration and family from a Latino perspective.
* AWARE: $30,000. The funding will help pay for a project coordinator, training, peer mentoring, school assemblies and community meetings for a nationally recognized youth development program to reduce teen involvement in drugs, drinking and other high-risk behaviors.
* Catholic Family and Child Service: $20,000. The funds will help provide money for extras, including camp fees, instrument rentals and dance lessons for about 100 children raised by their grandparents or other relatives.
* Children's Activity Museum of Ellensburg: $5,000. The grant will fund a part-time coordinator for an education program serving 3- to 5-year-olds.
* Gallery One Visual Arts Center: $5,000. The grant will expand Gallery One's education programs into a full-time Community School for the Arts that will include a media lab, jewelry and metal sculpture studio and art supplies.
* Grandview School District: $12,000. The grant will enable the Grandview School District to offer the Mariachi music program to all students at all schools.
* La Casa Hogar: $25,000. The funds will help enhance the on-site school readiness program for 40 pre-schoolers and 30 parents from immigrant Hispanic families in East Yakima neighborhoods.
* Latinas Networking for Justice: $25,000. The award supports the civic education of Yakima County Latinas and will help them understand how social and political systems work -- such as schools and government.
* Nuestra Casa: $15,000. The grant will pay for a six-week, mother/daughter teen pregnancy education program. The primary objective is to teach young, Spanish-speaking immigrants how to avoid pregnancy.
* Planned Parenthood of Central Washington: $25,000. The award will provide training for health educators involved in the "Promatoras Comunitarias" project, which will provide sex education to reduce sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
* Prosser Memorial Hospital: $20,000. The grant will help pay for a new ambulance for Prosser Memorial Hospital. It will specifically be used for residents who live in the southernmost regions of the county.
* Seasons Performance Hall: $25,000. The grant will enable students in master classes to be conducted by nationally known musicians. Music awareness and appreciation performances will also be scheduled for the general student body.
* University of Washington (at Heritage University): $35,000. The grant will help fund a program training Lower Valley residents and business owners about such topics as policy development, public speaking and facilitation skills.
* Washington State University Foundation (School of Nursing): $31,000. The grant will enable seven area students to receive clinical nursing experience at Sunnyside Community Hospital. The goal is to encourage students to consider practicing in a rural setting once they earn their degree.
* Yakima Area Arboretum: $9,000. The award will pay for improvements to the building's meeting rooms, including chairs, storage space and a ceiling projector.
* Yakima Valley Community College: $40,000. The money will enable the school to buy state-of-the art digital radiography equipment to be used for two health education programs.
* Yakima Valley School: $12,000. The award will fund the creation of a more welcoming and sensory-stimulating outdoor area where 30 developmentally disabled residents can spend time with their families and community volunteers.
* Yakima Youth Soccer Association: $46,000. The money will pay for new and longer lasting soccer goals and nets for 13 fields commonly used for regional and state tournaments.
The 2008 Youth Advisory Council awards are:
* Allied Arts: $5,000. The grant will be used to support the "More than Just a Web Site" project, which will offer space for image posting, user forums, blogs, searchable content and interactive features like videos and virtual tours.
* Catholic Charities Housing Services: $19,000. Funds will assist families at Buena Nueva, a low-income housing development for families in Buena and the surrounding community.
* Consumer Credit Counseling: $9,000. The grant will help educate high school seniors on how to avoid misusing credit cards.
* Northwest Harvest: $5,000. The funds will help support the "Three Squares" program by providing supplemental food for children living in poverty. The goal is to improve school attendance and academic performance.
* Perry Technical Institute: $6,000. The grant will help expand the Robotics & Technology program at Stanton Academy.
* Wapato Youth Sports: $6,000. The grant will expand the wrestling and baseball programs to include other organized sports for 5- to 14-year-olds, such as Grid Kid football.
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