Salina, KS – Salina Area United Way has awarded $69,550 in Make A Difference Grants to ten community partners for 2022. Grant recipients are organizations who are strengthening our community through health, education and financial stability.
“We are thrilled to be able to fund ten agencies in our community to make a difference,” says Claire Ludes, Executive Director of Salina Area United Way. “These agencies are working tirelessly to address needs in our communities. We are proud to keep working towards our mission of strengthening our community and to Live United.”
In order to ensure that donor dollars are invested where they will have the greatest community impact, grants are awarded on how well programs fit within community and organization goals. The community goals of Salina Area United Way are:
- Health: to increase the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior
- Education: to raise the graduation rate
- Financial Stability: to increase the number of families who are financially stable
Thanks to the generosity of our community, funding will be awarded to ten agencies:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina, $10,000 for their Community Based Mentoring Program to recruit, enroll and screen volunteers and help support and sustain the matches made as a result of this grant.
- Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas, $10,000 to support and serve more low-income families with infants and toddlers through their diaper program.
- Child Advocacy & Parenting Services, $10,000 to support the work and supervision of CASA Program Volunteers by providing three paid professionals.
- Cloud County Resource Center, $1,000 to purchase needed perishables for the food bank that serves 1,500-2,000 people throughout the course of the year.
- Friends of the River Foundation, $10,000 to support Friends of the River Educational Outreach that will provide children and adults within the community the opportunity to connect with the Smoky Hill River through history, recreation, science and the arts.
- Pivotal Health & Wellness, $2,000 to covers costs of a Certified Lymphedema Therapist courses and certification to expand their impact and outreach of specialty services.
- Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank, $10,000 to assist in funding the Food Bank’s Financial Assistance Program to provide 1,600 local households with assistance.
- Saline County Department of Senior Services, $5,000 to provide 100% of Meals on Wheels homebound seniors with a Christmas gift bag that includes shelf staple food, snacks, personal hygiene items and more.
- Solomon Valley Summer Camp, $2,000 to assist with 2023 pool passes, snacks and transportation for field trips during their summer 2023 season.
- St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, $9,550 for the addition of the Learning Beyond Paper curriculum, hold three staff trainings for the curriculum and provide all necessary supplies for classroom and off-site enrichment activities.
For more information about Salina Area United Way visit www.unitedwaysalina.org, or contact the Salina Area United Way office at 785-827-1312.