CAF Grant Recipients

Spring 2016 CAF Grant Recipients

Total Amount Granted:  $1,000

  1. The Reading Group: $108 – requested for a book series.
  2. Feeding Our Kids: $250 – requested for high school aged kids in Champaign County with food needs for weekends and holidays.
  3. Bottom Line Diaper Bank: $250 – requested to conduct diaper drives and raise awareness about chronic diaper needs in Champaign County.
  4. Parkland College Community Education: $318 – requested to fund 2 scholarships.
  5. Girl Scouts of Central Illinois: $74 – requested for uniform assistance (vest or sash) for girls with low income.

Fall 2015 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $1,200

  1. Carrie Busey Elementary School PTA: $200 – requested for supplies for day-time science experiments/Science Night
  2. DSC: $500 – requested for “switch and therapy” toys.
  3. Girls Go For It: $100 – requested for materials for girls participating in project.
  4. Crisis Nursery: $200 – requested for supplies for curriculum activities.
  5. Girls on the Run: $200 – requested for curriculum books and supplies for coaches.

Spring 2015 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted:  $1,490

  1. The Reading Group: $400 – requested for childrens’ books for older children who read below their grade level.
  2. Dream Girls Academy: $950 – requested for curriculum for girls 6th grade and up to foster life-long learning and the prevention of domestic violence and child abuse.
  3. Girls on the Run (Stephens Family YMCA): $140 – requested for curriculum books designed to help girls with life skills (3rd – 5th grade).

Fall 2014 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $1,500

  1. Carrie Busey Elementary School PTA: $200 – requested for display boards and science medals for Science Educational Assembly.
  2. Crisis Nursery: $500 – requested for educational toys to promote school readines and staff in-service training.
  3. The GOALS Project: $500 – requested for children’s books and literacy bag materials.
  4. Family Advocacy in Champaign County: $300 – requested for Reading Center school supplies.

Spring 2014 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $1,500.00

  1. Student Opportunities for After School Resources: $500.00 – requested for healthy snacks and reading incentives for after school reading program.
  2. Champaign School District #4: $500.00 – requested for books and orientation materials for their reading recovery program.
  3. Development Services Center: $500.00 – requested for bilingual assessment materials for the child assessments.

Fall 2013 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $1,498.52

  1. The Reading Group: $368.52 – requested for Learning Well board games.
  2. The Center for Women in Transition: $500.00 – requested for children’s books.
  3. The Garden Hills Homework Club: $430.00 – requested for reading incentive prizes and student snacks.
  4. Edison Middle School ESL Program: $200.00 – requested for language learning tablets.

Spring 2013 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $2,500

  1. United Way of Champaign County: $600 – requested to print 500 Kindergarten calendars in Spanish.
  2. SmileHealthy: $500 – requested to purchase dental supplies and pay for Dental Hygenist salary.
  3. Church Women United Clothing Center: $500 – requested to purchase shoes, socks, underwear, school supplies and bookbags.
  4. Washington Early Childhood Program: $400 – requested to purchase special needs “cause and effect” toys.
  5. Crisis Nursery: $500 –  requested to purchase 5 new cots and toys for children.


Fall 2012 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $2,500

  1. Washington Early Childhood Program: $500 –
  2. Development Services Center: $500 –
  3. Unit 4 School District Pre-K Program: $500 –
  4. Unit 7 School District Pre-K Program: $500 –
  5. Champaign County Head Start Program: $500 –


Spring 2012 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $4,648

  1. Big Brothers, Big Sisters: $500 – requested to help cover printing cost for mentor recruitment drive during National Volunteer Week.
  2. Campus Middle School for Girls: $400 – requested to cover materials, advertising and tuition for GIRLS Exploring Science and Engineering Camp.
  3. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): $555.22 – requested to fund a display of blue “Pinwheels for Prevention” to be placed in the Champaign County Courthouse.  Each pinwheel represents 480 children currently represented in the court system.  Will be promoted in the News-Gazette and WCIA to make April National Child Abuse Prevention month.
  4. Parkland Foundation – College for Kids: $375 – requested to pay 3 College for Kids scholarships.
  5. Community Elements: $200 – requested to purchase therapeutic books and educational materials for counseling sessions with children.
  6. Crisis Nursery: $500 – requested to help fund the “Nurturing Parent” curriculum.
  7. Daily Bread: $450 – requested to help provide 2 weeks of food at $150 per day.
  8. Developmental Services Center (DSC): $268 –  requested for transportation costs for 4 mothers and their children to attend a Spanish-speaking play group for children with disabilities.
  9. The Reading Group: $500 – requested to provide a scholarship to a low-income student with disabilities.  It will provide 10 lessons and a reading assessment.
  10. Savoy Methodist Food Pantry: $500 –  requested to purchase groceries for the church’s food pantry. The food is to be delivered to needy families in the Champaign-Urbana area.
  11. Urbana Park District: $400 – requested to cover training programs for local educators at the Purves Nature Center – “Project Learning Tree’s Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood” and “Growing Up Wild”.

 

Fall 2011 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $5,332

  1. United Way of Champaign-Urbana: $1,000 – requested to sponsor Wes Moore, author of the book The Other Wes Moore, to come speak at the United Way pillar event.
  2. Champaign County State’s Attorney Victim Advocacy Program: $93 – requested to purchase the DVD “Behind the Screens: Internet & Technology Dangers” to offer vital information to members of the Adult Diversion Program about misuse of internet & technology.
  3. Illinois Radio Reader: $350 – requested to purchase 30 sub-carrier radio receivers to be given free to visually impaired individuals so they can listen to newspapers, magazines and books read aloud.
  4. Savoy United Methodist Church: $500 – requested to purchase groceries for the church’s food pantry.  The food is to be delivered to needy families in the Champaign-Urbana area.
  5. Cunningham Children’s Home: $500 – requested to purchase stove for Godman Cottage, which houses 8 – 10 children & youth.
  6. Crisis Nursery: $259 – requested to purchase cozy sac chairs, educational toys and games that will be appropriate for older children now that Crisis Nursery will begin serving 6 year olds in January 2012.
  7. Bridgewater-Sullivan Community Life Center: $650 – requested to purchase the Auralia ear training and music theory software for the Mo’ Betta Music Program which is designed to strengthen musical skills and evoke self confidence.
  8. Urbana Adult Education: $180 – requested to assist students with purchasing bus passes.  Urbana Adult Education offers free classes to anyone over the age of 16 who lives in Champaign-Urbana.
  9. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): $500 – requested to help complete technology update by purchasing software.
  10. Tickets for Kids: $250 – requested to purchase tickets to the CU Ballet production of the Nutcracker for children and their parents who would otherwise have little exposure to the arts.
  11. Champaign County Head Start: $300 – requested to provide 6 classrooms with $100 budget towards scholastic books for their classroom library.
  12. Booker T Washington STEM School: $250 – requested to purchase uniform clothing for students.
  13. Campus Middle School: $500 – requested to pay for 1/2 of honorarium for an acclaimed puppetry performer.  The puppetry project will have 2 components: 1.  girls will research history of puppetry, folktales, culture and produce plays in teams; 2. girls will volunteer to perform and disseminate the project in the community, targeting minorities, the economically disadvantaged, the elderly as well as the physically and mentally disabled.

 

Spring 2011 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $6,664

  1. Girl Scout of Central Illinois: $750 – requested to pay for the “graduation etiquette dinner” that the Girl Scouts put on as a part of Camp Exec, a program that teaches job and life skills to girls ages 13-17.
  2. Rape Advocacy, Counseling & Education Services: $690 – requested to create brochures designed specifically for use by people with disabilities (500 braille and 500 large print brochures).
  3. SmileHealthy: $500 – requested to help pay for dental supplies, printing, mileage, office, administration, bookkeeping, audit, insurance and salary for this Oral Health Education Program, available in all 24 Head Start classrooms in Champaign County.
  4. Champaign-Urbana Public Health District: $500 – requested to fund a matching program for SNAP for the purchase of fruits and vegetables at local farmers’ markets via the LINK card.
  5. Bridge Builder Foundation: $500 – requested to purchase athletic uniforms and/or shoes for the traveling basketball team.  Bridge Builder is a community-based organization that uplifts at-risk/needy youth by providing academic, athletic and social experiences.
  6. Parkland College Foundation’s College for Kids: $500 – requested to provide 4 scholarships to children in grades 3 to 7 to attend College for Kids and continue learning during the non-school months.
  7. The G.O.A.L.S. Project (Going On Against Life’s Struggles): $675 – requested to allow GOALS to establish as a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status to empower teens (ages 13-19) to set and attain life goals despite the obstacles that present themselves.
  8. Education Justice Project: $425 – requested to pay for volunteer training materials.  The Education Justice Project engages a volunteer network of over 50 U of I staff, faculty, students and C-U community members to deliver educational programs to men incarcerated at Danville Corrrectional Center.
  9. Prairie School ASSIST Program: $693.87 – requested to purchase a Wii and accessories for the 3rd classroom that does not have one.
  10. Prairie School ASSIST Program: $311.69 – requested to purchase wet suits for those students who have extremely limited active movement and go to the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center once a week for water-based treatment.
  11. Savoy United Methodist Church: $500 – requested to purchase groceries for their Church Food Pantry that helps needy families.
  12. Anabel Huling Early Learning Center: $618.52 – requested to purchase 81 books for the infant, toddler and pre-school library.

 

Fall 2010 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $3,765

  1. Champaign County State’s Attorney Victim Advocacy Program: $500 – requested to purchase 25 books to aid victim advocates in their work with abused children and their families.
  2. Illinois Radio Reader: $600 – requested to purchase 20 sub-carrier radio receivers to be given free to visually impaired individuals so they can listen to newpapers, magazines and books read aloud.
  3. SmileHealthy – Child Dental Access Program: $500 – requested to help pay for dental supplies, printing, mileage, office, administration, bookkeeping, audit, insurance and salary.
  4. Champaign County CASA: $750 – requested to purchase materials for training books, indentification cards, refreshments, guest speaker fees and room rental fees.
  5. The Reading Group: $625 – requested to cover the cost of 1 scholarship for a student whose family cannot afford to pay for an educational assessment and 10 private lessons with a reading specialist.
  6. Urbana-Champaign Books for Prisoners: $500 – requested to help support an extra 2 hour volunteer session each week and for volunteer educational materials.
  7. Champaign County Children’s Advocacy Center: $290 – requested to pay for the cost of printing 250 copies of the “Parents’ Guide to CAC”.  This is an 18 page booklet provided to parents/caregivers of children referred to the CAC following a report of sexual or serious physical abuse.

 

Spring 2010 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $5,000

  1. Champaign County Forest Preserve District Foundation: $500 – requested in partnership with Central Affiliation for Special Education (CASE) to provide environmental eduction to visually impaired K-12th grade children in the 14 counties serviced by CASE. Two vision activity days would be carried out at two Champaign County Forest Preserves.
  2. The Urbana School District ASSIST Program: $500 – requested to purchase Wii console, games, accessories and travel bag to help older students with moderate to severe physical and mental disabilities to be active and participate alongside mainstream peers in recreation and leisure activities.  It allows the students to improve such skills as bilateral integration, visual tracking, fine and gross motor skills, strengthening, endurance and social skills.
  3. Restoratioin Urban Ministries: $500 – requested to help cover the cost of a Domestic Abuse Councelor for their new Domestic Violence Support Group, an 8 week program to provide abused women a safe environment where they can learn to take control through motivational speakers, training and a support group.
  4. Mental Health Center of Champaign County – Supportive Transition Empowerment Program (STEP): $500 – STEP helps find safe and appropriate housing for runaways and homeless youth and young adults (ages 16-21).  Requested funds to help cover the cost of the security deposits for program participants.
  5. Court Appointed Special Advocates: $500 – requested to update their training materials for new advocates training classes as well as obtain some training information and resources for the current group of advocates.
  6. Champaign County Advocacy and Mentoring Resources: $500 – requested to go towards updating the bathrooms in their live-in facility for those individuals with cognative disabilities who live in their Community Integrated Living Arrangement.
  7. Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club: $500 – requested to help aid in the creation of a community youth garden (teaching kids valuable skills about the environment, growing vegetables, heathly eating and entrepreneurship).
  8. Habitat for Humanity: $500 – requested to assist our Women Build Homes committee build homes for 2 low-income families in Champaign County.  Building is scheduled to be completed by end of 2010.
  9. Rural Champaign County Special Education Cooperative: $500 – requested to create student/family information packets for their 4th bi-annual “Transition Conference” for students with disabilites and their parents to be held on November 17, 2010.
  10. Senior Resource Center at Family Service of Champaign County: $500 – requested to aid seniors with significant financial need to receive a one-time purchase of needed dentures, dental work, hearing aids, glasses, medications or other related items not covered by Medicaid or insurance.

 

Fall 2009 CAP Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $2,800

  1. Camp Healing Hearts: $260 – requested to purchase 40 books entitles Lonely, That’s Me given to each camper at grief camp.
  2. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): $500 – requested to help expand their storage capability.
  3. Smile Healthy: $500 – requested to help expand their mobile oral health program in local Champaign County Pre-schools.
  4. Developmental Services Center: $300 – requested to purchase 2 digital cameras to be used for early intervention programs in their Family Development Center Program.
  5. Urbana Adult Education: $240 – requested to purchase bus passes to assist students with transportation to and from school.
  6. Crisis Nursery: $500 – requested to purchase developmental toys and materials for the Beyond Blue Perinatal Depression Program which provides developmental screenings and parent-child interaction play-groups for rural families.
  7. Champaign County Children’s Advocacy Center: $500 – requested for the purchase and installation of microphones in the rooms used to interview the children this center serves.

 

Spring 2009 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $7,095

  1. The Reading Group: $1290 – requested two full scholarship to local children considered “at risk” for school failure to participate in the summer reading program.
  2. Central High School Band Boosters: $500 -requested funding for a Yamaha Standard Trombone (the instrument is very expensive and difficult to transport, and/or students can not afford to own their own instrument or who play two instruments).
  3. Parkland College Foundation-College for Kids: $1000 – requested scholarships for four low-income students who reside in community college district 505 to attend the College for Kids summer enrichment program and pursue special interests through dozens of courses. JLCU awarded eight scholarships.
  4. Kenwood School: $500 – requested funding to implement a school wide social skills program.
  5. Champaign County Head Start: $450 – requested funding to buy scholastic books for each of their six classrooms to replace missing and worn books.
  6. Habitat for Humanity: $500 – requested a donation from JLCU to purchase appliances for the Women Build Homes 2009 home.
  7. Crisis Nursery: $570 – requested funds to purchase a new filing cabinet to house the records of the children who are served at the Nursery.
  8. Girl Scouts of Central Illinois: $670 – requested funding to help cover the cost of “Camp Exec” (teaching 13-17 year old girls the life skills and offers career exploration).
  9. SmileHealthy – Child Dental Access Program: $500 – requested to support the partnership with Parkland College Dental Hygiene Program to actively expand our oral health education program to target children throughout the county.
  10. The Champaign County YMCA: $1,115 – $493 for equipment and $622 for scholarships (to purchase new basketballs, footballs, and new basketball backboards to benefit both the structured youth sports program and unstructured free play at the CCYMCA).

 

Fall 2008 CAF Grant Recipients
Total Amount Granted: $ 2,995

  1. Kenwood School-Champaign Unit #4: $500 – requested funding to implement a school wide social skills program.
  2. Cunningham Children’s Home: $495 – requested funding to purchase a drying rack to help the therapeutic arts program grow.
  3. Crisis Nursery: $500 – requested Grant funds to be used to replace the worn out cots used for children who are in overnight care, and for safety covers for the five fire alarms in the building.
  4. Rural Champaign County Special Education Cooperative (RCCSEC): $500 – requested funds to underwrite a “Transition Conference” for students and parents. 40% of attendees have developmental disabilities and 60% have learning disabilities or other health impairments.
  5. The Prairie Ensemble: $500 – requested funding to cover a portion of the musicians’ honoraria relating to the April 17, 2009 concert “Celebrating Mendelssohn at 200”.
  6. SmileHealthy: $500 – requested funds to support the partnership with Parkland College Dental Hygiene Program to actively expand oral health education program to target children throughout the county.