• Edison Middle School - Reading Buddies - $950
Reading Buddies is a group of 8th graders who read to Westview kindergartners and was sponsored by JLCU.  Their budget is $ 950.  ($750 transportation, $200 supplies)

• CU Ballet Tickets for Kids - $ 270
Provides tickets for ``at risk" children and their families to attend the Nutcracker ballet-tickets costs 25.60 each.

• Allerton Summer Day Camps - Uof I - $ 500
To provide scholarships for children to attend the Allerton day camps for children ages 4-15 y/o.  The camps are environmental and art themed. Scholarships typically cover between 50-70% of fees.

• Crisis Nursery - $ 500
Money will be used for production of a series of training videos, specifically presenting the ``how" and ``how not to" interact with infants and toddlers in five areas - challenging behaviors, diapering, bedtime, bath time, and mealtime. 

• Community Prenatal Program - ``Baby Basics" - $ 600
Funds will be used to purchase the ``Baby Basics" book that is to be given out to expectant mothers on Medicaid or with no insurance who come to Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois for prenatal care. 

• Urbana Park District - Sculpture Garden School Tour Program - $ 100
Funds will be used to purchase $100 of supplies for the sculpture garden school tour program using the Wandell Sculpture Garden in Meadowbrook Park as an outdoor classroom.  This program tries to introduce students to three-dimensional art and integrate art and math into the existing fine arts curriculum. 

• Mahomet Area Youth Club - $ 310
The funds would be used to purchase tickets to a theater show for teens from Mahomet-Seymour and the surrounding areas who participate in the Teen Succeed evening program.

• Edison Middle School 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team - $ 500
Purchase uniforms for the girl's basketball team.  The majority of families are not able to afford the cost of a new uniform, and currently, Unit 4 is also not able to cover such costs.

• Edison Middle School 7th Grade Girls Basketball Team - $ 500
Purchase uniforms for the girls basketball team.  The majority of families are not able to afford the cost of a new uniform, and currently, Unit 4 is also not able to cover such costs.

• Canaan Academy - $ 350
Funds will be used to help prevent ``The Summer Reading Slip".  Each student will receive 2 books to read over the summer.  Students are from CU, primarily African-American, and from prekindergarten through fifth grade.

•$50 Central High School-Peer Assistance Team
The Peer Assistance Team (PAT) is a group of students who are trained to educate, mediate and counsel their peers.  They welcome new and transfer students, greet parents and answer questions at the 8th grade Open House, mediate peer conflicts, participate in 8th grade Orientation by giving tours and discussing extracurricular activities, seek creative ways to improve the school climate and counsel students individually on personal issues.  45 students this year have served on PAT as student leaders and helpers.  Funding will cover training and field trips for this organization.

•$500 University of Illinois-Multicultural Health Center
The Multicultural Health Center (MCHC) was established in 2001 as a collaborative partnership between the UIUC College of Nursing and multiple community partners that satellite services to the clinic.  Onsite health care is delivered by Nurse Practitioner faculty and collaborating physicians.  MCHC delivers culturally sensitive illness prevention and health promotion services to an underserved and culturally diverse community.  The program services spouses of students and their dependents living on the UIUC campus in Family and Graduate Housing (Orchard Downs).  To date, the clinic has logged over 1800 visits for clients from 40 countries.  JLCU funding will support onsite screening for Tuberculosis.  The goal is for early detection of TB and comprehensive follow-up care for international children and adults, through an established partnership with the C-U Health District.  

•$160 Central Illinois Children's Chorus
CICC is in its 27th season offering quality choral music and vocal training, and providing performance opportunities for children ages 6 through 16 with treble voices.  The chorus presents concerts, performs with area orchestras and with the University of Illinois Opera Program, and participates in international childrenís chorus festivals as well as local community events.  Funding will partially support a singing scholarship for children needing financial assistance. 

•$450 Champaign-Urbana Ballet-Tickets for Kids
CU Ballet is a not-for profit pre-professional dance company founded in 1998 with the goal of promoting classical ballet and offering training and local performance opportunities to community youth.  The Tickets for Kids Program (TFK) is funded solely by donations and grants.  TFK gives ballet tickets to students at both urban and rural area schools with large populations of at-risk students.  Ticket recipients attend ballets with their families and receive vouchers for refreshments and gifts from the ballet boutique.  An outreach specialist donates dance-related outreach to TFK schools to enhance the recipients' experience at the theatre.  The goal is to provide a rich, family arts experience different from that associated with large group/school field trips and identical to that enjoyed by families with greater resources and/or easier access to the arts.  In 2004, TFK allowed 101 children and family members from Stratton School, Urbana Early Childhood, King School, South Side School and Middletown Early Childhood (Mahomet) to attend a performance of The Nutcracker at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.  CAF funding will pre-purchase tickets for the 2005 Nutcracker.   

•$400 United Way of Champaign County-Success By 6
Success By 6 is a collaborative effort of business, private and public sector human service providers, and community leaders that focuses on improving the lives of young children and their families.  Success By 6 works to ensure that all children develop the emotional, social, cognitive and physical capacities and skills they need to enter school ready to learn and achieve success in all areas of their lives.  In collaboration with Champaign County schools, Success By 6 is developing a School Readiness Calendar for distribution in July to all Champaign County 4 year olds.  The calendar was developed by early childhood specialists and is based on early learning standards.  The calendar will include local school readiness expectations, local resource information and other important information for parents such as immunization needs and screening information.  There are over 1700 children currently attending kindergarten in Champaign County.  Particular emphasis will be placed on reaching at-risk children including those who have had no preschool experience.   Junior League will be acknowledged as a sponsor on the back of the calendar.

•$40 Carrie Busey Elementary School-Awesome Authors
Carrie Busey is one of eleven elementary schools in Champaign serving approximately 400 students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.  The student population is diverse.  50% of students are minorities and 47% are low income.  Carrie Busey is planning a celebration of second grade Awesome Authors.  The celebration will be a grade level celebration during the day and a celebration for families in the evening at the school.  Students will share their writing at the celebration.  The evening celebration will include an ``Open Mike Night" atmosphere. JLCU funding will allow these students to receive an award and pencil for their accomplishments. 

•$100 Hoopeston Migrant Head Start
Migrant Head Start has a site in Ludlow (Champaign County) and provides a variety of services to migrant or seasonal farm worker families and their children, ages 6 weeks-6 years, while in east central Illinois from July through October each year.  These farm workers are primarily Hispanic, U.S. citizens from south Texas.  Coming to a new community, poverty-stricken, and not able to receive the services they need is detrimental to all areas of a child's development.  Services include education, health, disabilities, mental health, social services, and parent involvement.  In the last two years, there has been a rise in the need for crisis intervention for mental health services for both children and parents, usually the mother.  Families are largely monolingual Spanish speakers who do not qualify for insurance or a medical card due to their brief length of stay in Champaign County.  Agencies that serve on a sliding scale do not employ bilingual therapists.  The population served will be those children and parents who qualify for Hoopeston Migrant Head Start services who reside in Champaign County.  They will receive therapy for enough sessions to get through the crisis and then will be referred to a bilingual therapist within the local community where they permanently reside.  The agency contracts with Dr. Gracela Andresen, a bilingual psychologist in the C-U community, for a reduced cost.  JLCU will help fund this mental health service.

•$400 Parents Resource Organization for the Understanding of Disabilities and Developmental Delays-Lending Library
PROUDD provides education, training, support and community awareness about disabilities in C-U and surrounding areas.  312 people were served in 2004, with a goal of serving 587 people in 2005.  Monthly mini-seminars are presented by local and regional provider/professionals on a variety of topics that are related to living or working with people with a disability or developmental delay.  PROUDD annually hosts 4-6 full day free seminars with childcare provided by qualified staff at no charge.  PROUDD also works collaboratively with other local and state organizations to provide training, develop new programs, resources and bring community awareness about disabilities to the community.  Resources provided include a lending library, functional living skills training manual, community outings and consultations at no charge.  PROUDD also speaks at in-services, parent support groups and schools.  CAF funding will be used for additional disability materials (books, adapted books, videos and training materials) for families, educators and professionals through the lending library.  These resources allow families the latest materials for learning and teaching at home children with disabilities without the additional expense of purchasing these materials.  This helps to offset the high cost of therapy, medical bills and equipment. 

•$100 East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center
The Refugee Center provides services to immigrants and refugees living in Champaign County.  The program helps immigrant families to find jobs and housing, to enroll their children in school, to find affordable daycare, to navigate a variety of governmental and social service agencies such as WIC, DHS and Social Security, to find doctors and dentists, to enroll in English classes, and to procure other services that may be new to them.  They also work as language interpreters until clients become fluent in English, teach immigrants about American laws and social traditions and publish a monthly newsletter in 5 languages to help immigrants to acclimate to American culture and to inform them about important issues.  The Refugee Center also assists with applications for permanent residency, family reunification papers, citizenship applications and citizenship test preparation, and tutoring in English.  The Spanish speaking population of Champaign County has doubled in the last several years.  Many of the Spanish speaking families have young children and also have low incomes.  The Mental Health Centerís Healthy Families Program is working in collaboration with Success By 6 at United Way, Urbana School District 116, Washington School Early Childhood Program and the Mental Health Centerís Healthy Families Program to translate and expand a Parent Resource Guide into Spanish.  The resource directory will list which organizations have Spanish speaking staff to assist families that do not speak English.   Funding will help to defray the printing costs of 1000 directories.

•$300 C-U One to One Mentoring Scholarship Foundation
The mission of C-U One to One Mentoring Scholarship Foundation is to provide the focus and funding for continuing education for students participating in the C-U One to One Mentoring Program.  The relationship-building program focuses on an adult mentor fostering the development of character and competence in a young person.  Mentors, who receive training, orientation, and ongoing support, commit to spending one hour per week during the school day on school grounds with their student.  There are currently over 200 mentor pairs with over 50 pairs in the elementary schools.  The goal of the program is to help at-risk kids succeed and stay in school until they graduate from high school.  The program recently was awarded a Department of Education grant to expand and strengthen mentoring in Champaign and Urbana public schools.  These grants were used to hire part-time coordinators at each elementary and middle school.  Research shows that mentoring produces the greatest positive outcomes (increased attendance, better focus on school, better relationship with peers) when the bond is greatest between the student and the mentor.  Mentors report that spending time in activities such as educational games, reading, and doing projects and crafts not only strengthen this bond, but also provide time to talk about issues that the student is facing.  Many schools have very few supplies that are available for use by mentors.  JLCU will purchase educational support materials, books, craft supplies and storage bins for six elementary schools.

•$100 National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
NAMI-Champaign County is a nonprofit organization run completely by volunteers.    NAMI has approximately 60 members whose lives are touched by mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, etc.  People diagnosed with brain disorders (consumers), their families and friends are welcome to join the organization.  Members organize educational and support groups, mail a monthly newsletter to 400 people and advocate on a local, county and statewide level for improvements in the care and treatment of people with brain disorders.  Consumers pay $3 in dues annually and family dues are $35 per year.  Volunteer instructors attend state training conferences.  These volunteers bear the financial burden of driving to classes and teaching unpaid for nine to twelve weeks at a time.  Funding will pay for two teachers to attend the Piecing It Together conference in Fairview Heights ($50 registration fee per teacher). 

•$300 TALKS Mentoring of Champaign County
TALKS Mentoring is a program of Provena Behavioral Health.  TALKS purpose is to enroll, educate and facilitate instructive interaction between adults and young people.  Mentors in Champaign County are recruited to serve youth in the public schools.  Mentors are trained using the TALKS Curriculum.  Currently 108 mentors are serving 302 children in the county.  While some mentoring programs target only at-risk youth, the TALKS program serves all children.  Children are paired in groups of three incorporating all academic levels in one group.  Children are also mixed racially and socio/economic levels are mixed.  Each child will receive a yearbook at the year-end banquet.  Funding will help cover this expense.

•$100 Agape Love Corner
Agape Love Corner is a program designed to instill the integrity and character of men and women who are victims of domestic violence brought on by substance abusers.  The goal is to provide a structured year long program to assist victims in overcoming domestic violence and carrying the message of recovery to those who are still suffering.  All counseling sessions are facilitated by Pilgrim Baptist Church.  There is no cost to attend this program.  Men, women and children who are victims of domestic violence by substance abusers are referred by social service agencies such as Women In Transition, TIMES Center and Jesus Is The Way Prison Ministry.  Funding will purchase literature, materials and supplies that will be used to run group study sessions focusing on Client Centered Therapy, Reality Therapy, Logo Therapy and Growth Therapy. 

•$400 Frances Nelson Community Health Center
Frances Nelson's mission is to provide quality primary healthcare to all ages of the uninsured and medically underserved residents of Champaign County.  The majority of patients are self-pay based on Federal Poverty Guidelines and most are charged 10% of prevailing community fees.  In Fiscal Year 2004, Frances Nelson recorded 19,500 medical visits, an approximate 19% increase over the previous year.  Funding will help to purchase prenatal books (What to Expect When You're Expecting and Caring for Your Baby and Young Child) in English and Spanish.

•$469 Champaign County Court Appointed Special Advocate
CASA is an organization which recruits, trains and monitors volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children.  96 volunteers work through the juvenile court system to facilitate prompt delivery of services and make independent recommendations to the Court concerning the child's well-being.  The advocates serve as the court's eyes and ears, gathering relevant information about the child.  To ensure the quality of contact, CASA volunteers are assigned to no more than two cases at any given time, serving on average 2-3 children per case.  CASA also serves as the Guardian ad litem for the children of Champaign County.  As of October 11, CASA is providing advocacy and legal representation for 523 abused and neglected children.  Volunteers are trained in courtroom procedure, social services, the juvenile justice system and the specials needs of abused and neglected children.  The training is 40 hours over 5 weeks.  Funding will pay for 45 reference books.  A Question of Balance:  Decision Making for CASA/GAL Volunteers will be used to train at least 60 new advocates in 2005.   

•$199 Urbana Adult Education-Even Start Program
Even Start is a cooperative project between Champaign County Head Start, Champaign Unit 4 Schools, Urbana School District 116, Parkland Community College and Urbana Adult Education.  The families served in Even Start are residents of Champaign or Urbana and are working on completing the GED exam, their high school diploma, or are studying English as a Second Language.  Just over half of the families speak a language other than English at home.  Women who are enrolled in the Adult Education program are eligible for child care with an educational component for their children under age three and a partnership with Head Start for pre-Kindergarten students.  Also available are Parenting Classes, Interactive Literacy activities, and home visits that round out the family literacy program.  Even Start families have limited access to computers.  The program was able to recently add several used computers at the Columbia School facility, but no money was available to purchase a printer.  Funding will buy a HP DeskJet printer that will contribute to the ongoing curriculum by providing students with an opportunity to print and take home the projects they work on at school. 

•$297.50 Stratton Elementary School
The enrichment specialist at Stratton Elementary is requesting funds for a Parent-Student Book Club.  The primary goal is to extend and enrich the curriculum by providing a Family Reading Night, an event which promotes greater family involvement in the area of literacy.  The book club was started last year by the enrichment staff and was overwhelmingly received by both students and parents.  Program funding was cut as a result of the Unit 4 budget crisis.  Funds are being requested to continue the ``Literacy Live!" program which will put emphasis on reading books and then promote activities that bring the book ``to life".  The following books were chosen based on their overall theme and both books are being made into movies:  The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket, The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.  The movies (50 tickets for $297.50) will allow for the book club to compare/contrast the book with the movie.  The enrichment specialists would like the students to experience that no movie is better than the ``movie in your head" following the reading and understanding of a good book.

•$125 Prairie Elementary School
Prairie Elementary School in Urbana has 340 students, with 80% qualifying for free and reduced lunch.  There are families in the low to moderate income range.  There is also a high mobility rate.  The school is constantly working on enhancing student achievement for students who come into school with abilities 1-2 years behind grade level.  The Family Center Committee promotes parental involvement by implementing academic and social events at Prairie such as, effective parenting support groups, 5th grade transition meeting for parents and students and school in-services directed to assist parents help their children at home.  The Committee's main objective is to provide families with opportunities to interact with other parents and augments their parenting skills.  The Family Center Committee and Title I Parent Coordinator at Prairie Elementary School have requested funding for a kindergarten bedtime reading night ($25 for a facilitator) and will provide every family with reading materials (66 story books for $100). 

•$256.50 Thomas Paine Elementary School
The music teacher at Thomas Paine is requesting funds for an ongoing project with the 5th grade music class and the Care Center Nursing Home in Urbana.  The students have become pen pals with the patients and visit them during the year.  The 5th grade students have improved their writing skills, are learning about others in their community and are becoming caring individuals.  Many of the nursing home residents have difficulty writing letters, but dictate them to the activity director.  A tape recorder is being requested to help the nursing home patients to dictate ($30).  The students would use the requested music books and instruments at school and share them with the nursing home patients ($35 for Come On, Let's Sing, $20 shipping cost, $171.50 for 10 Finger Drums).  The music can help bridge the difficulty in communicating for the students and residents.  It is a year long project designed to let the elderly know that others care about them and to teach the 5th grade students how important it is to help others.  The program has received in kind funding from the Urbana schools in the form of paper for writing, buses for visits, and teacher time to prepare and transport students. 

•$250 Garden Hills Elementary School
Garden Hills is an elementary school with 55% of students receiving the free/reduced lunch program.  Budget cuts for Champaign Unit 4 Schools have eliminated certain funding.  Many students encounter life difficulties that impact their ability to attend school on a consistent/regular basis.  Consistent school attendance is directly related to school success and achievement.  The funding will be used for the purpose of improving school attendance.  Initiatives established by the attendance program would be afforded to the 350 students in attendance at Garden Hills.  A comprehensive attendance program would be established and in operation within one month of program guideline establishment.  The program would continue throughout the 2004-05 school year.  Money would be used for attendance incentive rewards, alarm clocks, paper and printing of materials for students and families, and printer cartridges for students to be able to print educational materials in the computer lab (additional computer lab time is used as an incentive for improved attendance).

•$197 Leal Daisy Girl Scout Troop 372
Leal School covers part of the central Urbana area and has families from a mix of socioeconomic situations.  Most of the girls in the troop are from low income families who cannot afford to pay for workbooks, field trips, etc.  Daisies are not permitted to generate money (like cookie sales) and therefore their parents are expected to fund the activities.  In addition to the same general goals as the national Girl Scouts movement, the Leal troop plans to supplement rather than duplicate the kind of experiences the young girls get at school.  They are focused on community service and useful life skills.  The troop brings together girls from different neighborhoods (some more financially needy) and plans to build bridges of understanding and cooperation at this early age that will provide invaluable learning experiences for all the girls.  The leaders also want to use the troop as a way to promote parent involvement in the lives of the girls and will plan several trips and activities the include parents and extended family.  Funds requested will purchase uniforms ($16.50 each) for 2004-05.

•  Rantoul Area Project (RAP) Rantoul Area Project is a grassroots effort which empowers residents to organize, develop and carry out a plan to alleviate conditions that put youths at risk.  RAP committees are recruited and organized to provide positive activities for educational and recreational purposes, which build stronger, more effective families and individuals.  The grant will fund equipment and programs for their Hobson Drive Neighborhood Association kids after-school program and summer program.

•  University of Illinois - Child Care Resource Service (CCRS) Quality Counts program  CCRS is a program of the Department of Human and Community Development and UI Extension.  The CCRS 1)provides families seeking child care with a list of local child care options and information on how to select quality care, 2) supports child care providers with training opportunities and resource development, 3) maintains current local data on child care supply and demand, and 4) administers the state subsidy program, which offers financial assistance for child care to qualifying families. 

•  The Quality Counts program, one unit of CCRS, provides direct services to family child care providers and centers.  The is accomplished through the use of the CCRS Quality Counts van, which travels around Champaign-Urbana and its surrounding communities.  The Quality Counts program plans will be working to further support early literacy by setting up Reading Corners in low-income child care provider homes. 

The funding will be used to purchase beanbag seats and book bins to be used to set up Reading Corners in low-income child care provider homes. 

•  Lutheran Social Services (LSSI) LSSI is the social service agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  They provide care to over 150,000 people through various child welfare and family service programs across the state.  The mission of LSSI is to bring healing, justice and wholeness to people and communities.  Their services include counseling, mental health programs, substance abuse treatment, residential treatment for children and adolescents, child care services, foster care and adoption, nursing care, etc. 

LSSI provides foster homes for over 175 children in Champaign-Urbana. Many of the children served are in need of support services to help them come to terms with their experiences and find strength.  Their needs range from physical and developmental disabilities to severe behavioral disorders that have stemmed from abuse and or neglect. 

LSSI is asking for money to purchase equipment for their play therapy program in Champaign-Urbana.  Play therapy counseling is offered to children ages 3-11.  LSSI has offered play therapy for the past ten years. Over the years, the toys used become worn, broken and need replacing. The funds will be used to purchase toys, books, dollhouse and storage containers. 

•  Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company (CUTC)  CUTC is a volunteer-based, nonprofit theatre company.   In addition to the Broadway-style productions that CUTC puts on annually, they also host mystery dinners, deliver singing Valentines, take part in C-U's Fourth of July Parade, give presentations on community theater to clubs and community groups, host a haunted house, give workshops and loan costumes, props, etc. to schools, churches and organizations.  CUTC provides the opportunity for anyone, regardless of age, race, health, time available or skills, to be part of theater ñ backstage, onstage, or anywhere else they desire. 

The grant will be used to purchase plastic tubs for storing and protecting props and costumes, plastic sheeting to protect larger props, an overhead projector to facilitate set design and a handcart to make transportation of items safer.

•  Champaign Urbana Ballet - Tickets for Kids (TFK)  CU Ballet is a pre-professional dance company with the goal of promoting classical ballet and offering training and local performance opportunities to community youth.  The Tickets for Kids program donates ballet tickets to students and community elementary schools with large populations of at-risk students.  Ticket recipients attend ballets with their families and receive vouchers for free refreshments and gifts from the ballet boutique.  TFK seek to serve children and their families in the Champaign County area who would otherwise be unable to attend a ballet performance.  Their goal is to have at least 100 TFK recipients attend the 2004 Nutcracker.

The money will be used to pay for 10  tickets for the 2004 Nutcracker at Krannert.

•  Champaign Consortium - Workforce Investment Act (WIA) The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) through the Champaign Consortium strives to prepare eligible youth , adults, and dislocated workers for entry/re-entry into the labor force.  Job training and job search assistance services have been developed to meet the needs of area business and industry as well as job seekers. 

WIA is planning a ``Transition Conference" for students with disabilities and their parents, to be held in the Fall of 2004.  All high school juniors and seniors in Champaign County who receive disability-related services and their parents will be invited to the Transition Conference.  WIA estimate 300 attendees. 

The money will be use to help cover the cost of the student/family information packets.

Westview Elementary School - 5th grade  The 5th grade classes at Westview Elementary in Champaign have planned a trip to Chicago.  Their field trip includes going to the Museum of Science and Industry and to the Omnimax Theater.  Of the 75 fifth graders, 31 are presently on free lunch.  They expect to collect approximately $440.00 from the participating children. The total cost of the trip is $1882.75. ($60 of Westview's League Locker Field Trip fund is being used for this trip).

The money will be used to help them reach the total cost of the trip.

•  Urbana School District #116 Multiculural Program - The World in Our Feet: Bridging Cultural Differences through Dance  (Artist in Residency)  The World in Our Feet  is a program that will involve the students in participating schools, Martin Luther King elementary and Leal elementary. Despite language barriers, economic and cultural differences, the students will share a common dance experience outside the realm of spoken language.

The program will enrich students outside the traditional classroom by providing interactive arts education experiences with highly qualified professionals.  Each school will work with professional dance educator and will create and perform dance/music events that stimulate awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of cultures represented at King School, and the distinct qualities of the three dominate cultures (Latino,White and African American) represented at Leal School.  The project will take place between February 7- March 8, 2005, coordinated by a steering committee of teachers, administrators and parents. 

The money will be used to help fund the Artist in Residency Program.

•  Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra  The mission of the Symphony is to enhance the quality of life in the community through music performance and music education.  Through live performances, education programs and radio broadcasts on WILL FM, the Symphony serves an audience of 45,000 community members annually.

The Champaign-Urbana Symphony is presenting the second annual Family Concert at Krannert in January 2005. The Family Concert is a collaborative program with members of the Champaign-Urbana Ballet Company acting out portions of the children's stories through dance as the music is played.  Before the concert, there will also be an ``Instrument Petting Zoo" that will encourage children and parents to experiment with orchestral instruments. 

The grant will be used for partial support of The Family Concert.

•  Girl Scouts - Green Meadows Council  Girl Scouts is an all girls organization that offers an accepting, open and nurturing environment in which girls build skills for success in the real world.  Girl Scouts has provided girls with the encouragement to dream big and given them the skills to make those dreams a reality since 1922. JLCU has helped the Green Meadows Council reestablish Girl Scouting as an available activity for girls in the north end of Champaign.  Three troops within a specific geographical area have been supported by JLCU in the past, Don Moyer's Boys and Girls Club, troop 55, Douglas Center, troop 429, and Columbia Center School, troop 326. 

The money will be used to continue to strengthen the programs of these Girl Scout troops.

$500 - Education for the Homeless Children Youth Program - This grant will support children during summer months when other funding is not availble.

$500 - Champaign County Dental Access Program - This grant will help needy children receive dental care, toothbrushes, toothpaste, fluoride, education and prevention.

$475 - Cunningham Children's Home - This grant will be used to purchase character costume hats, puppets, and dolls for the play therapy room.

$400 - Safe Kids Coalition - These funds will help Safe Kids provide teacher curriculum to implement the Risk Watch Program in Champaign Unit 4, Urbana Unit 116 and Unity Unit 7 school disctricts.

$400 - Girl Scouts Green Meadow Chapter - The grant will establish custodial accounts for new troop in the north end of Champaign to help purchase badges the girls have earned.

$400 Campaign for Better Health Care - This grant will be used for the printing and postage of the Children's Mental Health Directory.

$400 - A Woman's Fund - These funds will be used to distribute ``Project-In-A-Box" tool kits to medical professionals.

$200 - Champaign Central High School PTSA - These funds will be used to start a thrift shop for Central students.

$125 - Illinois Radio Reader - The IRR is a free radio service for the blind and physically handicapped community of East Central Illinois.  Local newspapers, magazines and books are read out load and recorded for broadcast.  This grant will subsidize operating expenses.

$100 - Champaign Urbana Symphony - This grant will help support The Family Concert, an inaugural event designed to introduce younger audience members to the world of classical music.

$100 - Senior Services - This grant will support the distribution of the Senior Guide, an invaluable resource used to access a myriad of federal, state, and local programs available to the seniors in Champaign County.

$100 - CU One to One Mentoring Program - This fund will help support the Elementary School End of Year Mentor Banquet.

$100 - Champaign County Chamber of Commerce - This grant will help support a summer leadership workshop for teachers and high school students of Champaign County.