JLPA-MP Announces 2012 Recipients of Community Grants

The Project Development Committee of the Junior League of Palo Alto Mid•Peninsula is pleased to announce the 2012 recipients of Community Grants. The League funded a total of $42,500 in Community Grants, serving the needs of 11 organizations in our community. Awards are granted annually to non-profit organizations in communities supported by the League: Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, Stanford, Sunnyvale, and Woodside.

Community Grant Recipients: Jon Lemke (Reading Partners); Betsy Noonen (Spark); Ann-Christel Graham (Community VP), Mike Berman (EPAPA); Joanna Bradshaw (EPAPA); Beth Greenberg (Project Development Co-Chair); Ashley Riley (Fit Kids Foundation); Julie Cates (ALearn)

“Our goal this year was to fund projects that support the mission of the League and have the widest impact in the community,” said Beth Greenberg and Nicole Neal Co-Chairs of the Project Development Committee. “We are especially excited about supporting childhood literacy, fitness programs, family counseling, and domestic violence resources.”

The 2012 grant recipients are:

1. ALearn ($5,000)

Grant goal: Funding will supply teaching and testing materials for the Catalyst Summer Bridge program for students in underserved communities as they work towards entering and succeeding in college.

2. Aspire East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy ($5,000)

Grant goal: Funding will “seed” the school's library and support the purchase of leveled reading sets which will be used by four different grades.

3. Building Futures Now ($4,000)

Grant goal: Funding will support academic supplies and enrichment trips for students as part of a mentoring program that empowers students to succeed in middle school, high school and beyond.

4. Collective Roots ($2,500)

Grant goal: Funding will provide in-school and after-school learning programs at several elementary schools in Redwood City and East Palo Alto, focused on gardening, sustainability and nutrition.

5. Family Connections ($4,500)

Grant goal: Funding will purchase materials for kindergarten readiness programs for low-income families.

6. Fit Kids Foundation ($5,000)

Grant goal: Funding will provide materials for after-school fitness education programs designed to instill an early love of sports and physical activity for children who do not have access to physical education programs at school.

7. Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf ($2,500)

Grant goal: Funding will provide equipment for speech therapy programs serving children from low-income families.

8. Maitri ($2,500)

Grant goal: Funding will contribute to transitional living expenses for South Asian women and children who are the victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, family conflict and cultural isolation.

9. Nuestra Casa ($1,500)

Grant goal: Funding will purchase five Sed de Saber systems for adult ESL programs dedicated to increasing civic participation and promoting economic self-sustainability in the Latino migrant population.

10. Reading Partners ($5,000)

Grant goal: Funding will help cover the costs of instruction materials, volunteer training and student assessment costs for literacy intervention programs serving children in low-income communities.

11. Spark ($5,000)

Grant goal: Funding will cover the costs for 10 middle school aged girls in underserved communities to become apprentices in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professions.

About the Junior League of Palo Alto•Mid Peninsula, Inc.

The Junior League of Palo Alto•Mid Peninsula, Inc. (JLPA.MP) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

JLPA•MP provides ongoing support for its grants through its fundraisers: The Shop in Menlo Park, its annual Home Tour and its Endowment Fund. For more information visit our website at http://www.thejuniorleague.org/, our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter @JLPAMP.