Press Release
November 16, 2009
The Board of Directors of the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. has approved grants for the Fall 2009 Grant Cycle. Grants totaling $980,200 will be made available to 15 charitable organizations the week of December 7, 2009. The following is a brief description of each recipient and the purpose of the grant.
Connectional Ministries of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
A $20,000 grant to Connectional Ministries, an agency of the South Georgia Annual Conference, to support two South Georgia Conference Confirmations Retreats during 2010 for the children of the conference churches that are preparing for church membership.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (www.secgafca.org)
A $25,000 grant to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to provide salary support for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative in Camden County. This represents the first of a two-year commitment to this program, with the second year funding being issued as a challenge grant. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is an interdenominational organization promoting positive, Christian principles to individuals around the world. It conducts programs through over 200 field offices in rural, suburban and urban areas spreading the Gospel to young people in junior high, high school and college.
The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy (www.ferstfoundation.org )
A $45,000 grant to the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy to provide funding for a program 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.
The Methodist Home for Children and Youth (www.themethodisthome.org)
A $24,200 grant to the Methodist Home for Children and Youth in Macon, Georgia to assist in the re-tooling and operation of the Valdosta group home. The Methodist Home is an agency of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church that seeks to provide a healing, nurturing setting for children, youth and families in need through regional group homes.
Valdosta State University Wesley Foundation (www.vsuwesley.com)
A $30,000 grant to Valdosta State University Wesley Foundation to support the Intern Program. This represents the first of a three-year commitment to this program, with the second and third year of funding being issued as challenge grants. Valdosta State University Wesley Foundation is an agency of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Their mission is to minister to students on campus and to further the Kingdom of God in the area He has called people to. They aim to make disciples of Jesus Christ who live with the resolve to love both God and people and they seek to educate and equip emerging young adults to live lives manifesting both personal and social holiness.
American Red Cross – Southeast Coastal Georgia Chapter (www.coastalredcross.org)
A $25,000 grant to the American Red Cross – Southeast Coastal Georgia Chapter to provide funding for personal assistance to families who experience house fires in Glynn and Brantley Counties. The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provides relief free of charge to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia (www.helpendhunger.org)
A $100,000 grant to America’s Second Harvest in Brunswick, Georgia to fund a portion of the capital campaign to build and equip a new warehouse located in Glynn County. America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia was established in Savannah in 1981 to provide hunger relief services to 21 counties in coastal Georgia. The food distribution warehouse located in Brunswick, Georgia serves southeast Georgia including the four counties of Camden, Glynn, Brantley, and Charlton.
Magnolia Manor (wwwmagnoliamanor.com)
A $75,000 grant to Magnolia Manor to support the resident charitable assistance program called the League of the Good Samaritan for fiscal year 2010 – 2011. Magnolia Manor is a ministry of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church established to provide long-term care and affordable living to the elderly.
Salvation Army – St. Marys Service Center
A $25,000 grant to the Salvation Army to provide funding for the long term assistance program in fiscal year 2010 for Camden and Charlton county residents. Their mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
Coastal Counseling Center (www.coastalcounselingcenter.org)
A $30,000 grant to the Coastal Counseling Center in St. Marys, Georgia to support fiscal year 2010 operational expenses. Coastal Counseling Center provides mental health and substance abuse counseling services for adults in Camden County through a sliding scale fee that is relative to a family’s income level.
Hospice Satilla
A $50,000 grant to Hospice Satilla to provide salary support for nurses of Hospice patients in Brantley and Charlton County. Hospice Satilla exists to provide comprehensive, quality care services to terminally ill patients and their families using a holistic approach and addressing the physical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual issues associated with the dying process. They strive to relieve suffering, enhance comfort, promote quality of life, foster choice in end-of-life care and support effective grieving.
United Way of Camden and Charlton Counties
A $31,000 grant to the United Way of Camden and Charlton Counties to provide funding for the implementation of a 211 information system for Camden County. This represents the second 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 second 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.
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 third and final 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 $320,000 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 second 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.
Jeff Barker, President
