2011 Grants Awarded
We have many wonderful, hard-working organizations in our city and state who are devoted to helping those in need. Impact Oklahoma had some very difficult decisions to make this year, as we received 65 grant requests in 2011. Through the diligent work of our members, who serve on the five focus area grant committees, the list was reduced to 15 semi-finalists. After site visits and other due diligence, the five finalists were chosen. At our only meeting of the year, and after listening to the mission of each of the finalists, the Impact Oklahoma Members voted. Three grant recipients were chosen.
- City Rescue Mission
- New View Oklahoma
- The Homeless Alliance
City Rescue Mission - Community – $100,000 will be used to fund:
The Impact Hunger Food Pantry which will be the first of its kind in our area – – a grocery-store-style food distribution center serving the most impoverished in our community with accessible hours and the dignity of self-selecting items. Working in partnership with The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, this format will streamline operations, reduce cost, reduce waste, increase accessibility, and will serve well over 12,000 hungry men, women and children in the first year of operation!
The Impact Hunger Food Pantry will have a tremendous impact on our community! We want to not only feed the hungry, but to nourish them – – to encourage their physical health so they can be fueled to perform better in school, at work and in life. Good nutrition is a building block for success in all other areas, so your investment will not only feed thousands, but will have an exponential impact on their success for years to come!
New View Oklahoma – Health and Wellness – $100,000 will be used to fund:
A clinic for the one in six Oklahomans over the age of 55 who have low vision caused by an age-related eye disease. Low vision can have a severe impact on a person’s quality of life, but that can be mitigated by a low vision clinic that helps clients to maximize their usable vision.
NewView Oklahoma proposes the establishment of a low vision clinic that will serve 1,530 patients annually in the Oklahoma City area. These patients would otherwise have no access to a low vision specialist. The low vision clinic would also offer needed follow-up care to keep clients safe and independent in their homes. Funds awarded will be used for the one-time purchase of optometric and specialized low vision assessment equipment for the clinic, and for portable vision assessment and adaptive aids for in-home trainings.
The Homeless Alliance – Family – $79,500 – will be used to fund help for:
Homeless families with children - the fastest growing sub-population of the homeless in Oklahoma City.
Homelessness has a profoundly negative impact on families, especially children. Witnessing violence, missing school, interrupted sleep and emotionally distressed parents can lead to trauma, behavioral problems, and developmental delays. The new WestTown Resource Center brings together a dozen agencies that work with families who are homeless or at-risk. All of those agencies, working seamlessly together, can provide the care and housing so desperately needed by homeless families with children.
A gift from Impact Oklahoma will allow us to expand our program for homeless families and make it a successful, replicable model of care, adapting national best practices to our local community. We estimate that over the next two years, we will be able to help at least 200 families achieve sustainable housing and become a national model for housing homeless families with children.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 and is filed under News.
