November 24, 2008
The Board of Directors of the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. has approved grants for the Fall 2008 Grant Cycle. Grants totaling $1,188,500 will be made to 15 charitable organizations the week of December 1, 2008. The following is a brief description of each recipient and the purpose of the grant.
Camden County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)(www.camdencasa.org)
A $40,000 grant to the Camden County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program in Kingsland, Georgia to support operational costs for 2009. CASA is a statewide program, established in Camden County in 1997 to provide advocacy services for abused and neglected children in Camden County who have been placed in foster care. Advocacy services are provided through trained volunteers who are appointed by the Juvenile Court to represent the child until the child is placed in a permanent and safe home.
Connectional Ministries of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
A $25,000 grant to Connectional Ministries, an agency of the South Georgia Annual Conference in St. Simons Island, Georgia, to support two South Georgia Conference Confirmations Retreats during 2009 for the children of the conference churches that are preparing for church membership.
The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy (www.ferstfoundation.org )
A $54,000 grant to the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy in Madison, Georgia to provide startup funding for a program in Camden County which partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to send out age appropriate books to children ages birth to 5 years old at no cost in Camden County. The organization encourages children to dream through reading and encourages parent involvement to achieve early school success with the goal to assist every child to be reading ready before entering kindergarten.
Methodist Home for Children and Youth (www.themethodisthome.org)
A $75,000 grant to the Methodist Home for Children and Youth in Macon, Georgia to support the fiscal year 2009 operating budget. The Methodist Home is an agency of the South Georgia Annual Conference that seeks to provide a healing, nurturing setting for children, youth and families in need through regional group homes.
The Vashti Center for Children and Families (www.vashti.org)
A $50,000 grant to the Vashti Center in Thomasville, Georgia to support the costs of a new community services building. The Vashti Center is an agency of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church providing a number of various services to children including an emergency shelter, long-term basic care, intermediate residential treatment for emotionally disturbed children, a home for teen mothers and their infant children, marriage and family counseling, and basic education for at-risk youth who have been removed from the public education system. The new community services building will provide additional space necessary to expand program services within the community.
STAR Foundation (www.starfoundation.org)
A $22,000 grant to the STAR Foundation in Brunswick, Georgia to support the fiscal year 2009 operating budget. The STAR Foundation assists individuals in achieving self-sufficiency and economic stability through computer literacy and job readiness training.
Hospice of the Golden Isles (www.hospiceofthegoldenisles.com)
A $50,000 grant to the Hospice of the Golden Isles in Brunswick, Georgia to support the 2009 operational expenses for Jolley House, a residential facility for hospice. Jolley House provides residential services to indigent and low income persons who are terminally ill.
Wesley Glen Ministries (www.wesleyglenministries.com)
A $50,000 grant to Wesley Glen Ministries in Macon, Georgia to support the FY2009 operating budget for the overall organization. Wesley Glen is a ministry of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and serves people with mental disabilities in central and south Georgia.
America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia (www.helpendhunger.org)
A $45,000 grant to America’s Second Harvest in Brunswick, Georgia to support a Mobile Food Pantry to service Brantley, Charlton and Camden Counties. America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia was established in Savannah in 1981 to provide hunger relief services to counties in southeast Georgia and in 2006 America’s Second Harvest established a food distribution warehouse in Brunswick, Georgia to serve the four counties of Camden, Glynn, Brantley, and Charlton.
Open Door Community House (www.opendoorcommunityhouse.org)
A $75,000 grant to Open Door Community House in Columbus, Georgia to support the organization’s FY2009 operating budget. Open Door is an agency of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and provides a number of social services to low and moderate-income residents of Muscogee County, Georgia. Services include case management for homeless women, programs for children, youth and senior citizens, a clothing ministry, a community parenting program, a GED program, a transition home for women in crisis and a showering program for the homeless.
United Way of Camden and Charlton Counties
A $35,000 grant to the United Way of Camden and Charlton Counties to provide funding for the start up and implementation of a 211 information system for Camden County. This represents the first year of a three-year commitment to the project. The 211 system is an easy to remember telephone number that connects callers to information about critical health and human services for every day needs and in times of crisis. The system is also web based so individuals as well as service providers can seek and update information online.
ECHO (www.echonet.org)
An $80,000 grant to ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger) in Ft. Myers, Florida to establish regional offices and create formal partnerships in East and West Africa to make the agricultural resources of ECHO more accessible. This represents the first year of a three-year commitment to this project. ECHO is a Christian organization established in 1981 to strengthen the ministries of missionaries and national churches as they work with small rural farmers and urban gardeners in developing countries.
Coastal Medical Access Project (CMAP) (www.cmapga.org)
An $87,500 grant to CMAP in support of their sustainability initiative to expand services in southeast Georgia. This represents the fourth year of a four-year commitment to this project. CMAP provides access to free pharmaceuticals, access to medical service, and chronic disease case management and serves the uninsured and under-insured residents of Camden, Charlton and Brantley counties.
UMCOR (www.umcor.org)
A grant of $100,000 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to support the development and implementation of a U.S. based disaster management software system. The web-based system provides the capability to communicate with the Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) and consequently any other disaster response agencies that utilize a web based database and will benefit disaster victims and organizations (including but not limited to UMCOR) that respond to disasters for many years to come. This represents the second year of a three-year commitment to this project. UMCOR was established by the United Methodist Church in 1940 in response to the suffering of people during World War II and continues to provide a channel through which people may express their Christian compassion for people around the globe, often the poorest in society, who are undergoing hardship and suffering as a result of natural catastrophes, conflicts or wars. UMCOR is called on to provide immediate relief and long-term recovery wherever and whenever needed.
Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org)
A $400,000 grant to Church World Service to support an expansion of the Africa Initiative – Giving Children Hope Program in East and Southern Africa. This grant represents the second grant in the first year of a 3-year partnership between Church World Service and the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation referred to as the Africa Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to protect the rights of and to provide support to orphans and vulnerable children living in the countries of Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, war and famine that they may be empowered to manage their own well being and the stability of their families, to participate in the social and economic development of their communities, and to live in the shelter of hope. The initiative will reinforce the capacity of and support the expansion of church and related organizations to build child-centered programs and networks.
The St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. was organized in January 2001 to support the charitable activities of the St. Marys United Methodist Church. Annual grant distributions will typically represent about 3% to 5% of the Foundation’s value. The Foundation awards grants twice each year, in the spring and the fall. Grant proposals are accepted year round. Proposals received from December 2nd to June 1st will be considered for the Fall cycle while proposals received from June 2nd to December 1st will be considered for the Spring cycle. Proposals to be considered must be related to:
Children, Youth and Family – Agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in southeast Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) that promote the spiritual, mental and/or physical well being of children, youth and families.
Adults and Elderly – Agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in southeast Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) that promote the spiritual, mental and/or physical well being of adults and elderly.
Health, Mental Health, and Mental Retardation – Agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in southeast Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) that provide research, treatment, or care in the fields of health, mental health and mental retardation.
Christian Education, Evangelism, and Missions – Agencies of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs that equip God’s people for evangelism, programs whose sole focus is spreading the Gospel, and mission programs which seek to spread the Gospel through local southeast Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties).
Additional information about the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. is available on the Internet at www.smumcfoundation.org or by calling 912-510-9350.
