Cast your vote to select the first recipient of a community impact grant, funded by UAB employees through the Benevolent Fund, during a one-hour public forum Dec. 10 in Cudworth Hall.
In June, the Benevolent Fund announced the Community Impact Grant Initiative, an expansion of the annual program to provide support for local non-profit agencies. The inaugural grant, as much as $50,000, will be awarded to a non-profit group or coalition to help fund an initiative that will affect education, health or economic security. Proposals were accepted from area non-profit groups in August that support one of three goals:
- children achieving educational success,
- people leading healthy, active lives or
- families becoming economically secure.
Benevolent Fund Program Manager Lisa Higginbotham said three finalists were chosen from a pool of approximately 60 applicants. Each applicant was required to submit detailed and verified financial documentation, including IRS documentation indicating their 501(c)(3) non-profit status, and a brief proposal.
Get to the vote:The Blazer Express Blue, Green and Gold routes all stop at the Kaul Genetic Building on 20th Street, which is around the corner from Cudworth Hall. Cross University Boulevard from the bus stop, and Cudworth Hall is on your right, next to the Sheraton Hotel. |
All employees at UAB, Callahan Eye Hospital, UAB Health Services Foundation, UAB Medicine and Viva are eligible to vote; a campus ID is required. RSVP to Benevolentfund@uab.edu by Dec. 5. Presentations will begin promptly at noon.
Three were selected for the public presentation and employee vote:
• Magic City Harvest. This non-profit organization distributes food daily to people struggling to obtain nutritious food by recovering 2 million pounds of excess perishable food annually across Jefferson, Shelby and Talladega counties. Each week, its food-recovery and distribution program serves more than 5,000 men, women and children in collaboration with 40 non‐profit agencies. Its goal is to acquire an 18-foot refrigerated truck that will enable it to distribute an additional 500,000 pounds of food and expand its reach by 25 percent.
• United Cerebral Palsy. This organization, which provides services to people with disabilities, promotes adaptive exercise for adults who use wheelchairs to improve their overall health and lifespan. Emerging research is substantiating the negative health effects of long bouts of sitting, and recent studies have shown that standing for 30-60 minutes daily can offset these health risks. UCP’s goal is to develop a portable stander that enable adults with physical disabilities to stand at regular intervals during the day.
• The Woodlawn Foundation. This foundation is requesting funds to support a Woodlawn Innovation Network Community School Resource Coordinator at Woodlawn High School and to support a Summer Bridge program. The school resource coordinator will facilitate development of a continuum of mental and physical health services plus access to healthy food for children, families and community members within a school neighborhood. The Summer Bridge program is a four-week experience that will help students transition from middle school to high school and launch the college-going culture.
