Doylestown, PA (July 3, 2013) – As part of their mission to improve the lives of youth and their families in Bucks County, Foundations Community Partnership’s Board of Directors has approved $170,000 in grants to help 17 Bucks County non-profit organizations and the families they serve. The grants included $110,000 in Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) and $60,000 in Capital Grants.

Foundations Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) were awarded to:

Pegasus Riding Academy in Northeast Philadelphia received a grant for their Leading the Way program, which collaborates with the Wood School in Langhorne to provide services for adolescents who have severe physical/behavioral health problems with access to an equestrian summer day camp. The project is designed to work with each person’s disability and is incorporated with the ESY educational program at the residential facility.

Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership in Langhorne and Healthlink will use the grant to support their Healthier Families Initiative, which screens for depression in clinic parents and families. It provides supports for integrated physical/behavioral health care for low-income families throughout Bucks County.

Council Rock School District’s ACHIEVE program in Newtown will use their grant to provide vocational/social skills training for aging-out special needs youth. These services are offered to a vulnerable and high-risk population and aim to make a student’s transition to adulthood a smooth one.

The Conservatory – Music, Art, Drama in Doylestown will use the grant for their Smart Program, which works to improve social skills of the youth at the Bucks County Youth Center. It provides healthy leisure activity training and improved self-esteem for adjudicated delinquents and disadvantaged children.

The YWCA of Bucks County’s Girls Circle in Bensalem is focused on building self- concept and self-esteem for young girls to prevent development of mental health problems. Designed to increase positive connection, strengths, and competence, Girls Circle is a structured support group for girls from 9-18 years, which integrates relational theory, resiliency practices, and skills training.

The Lower Bucks Family YMCA’s Enrichment Outreach Program in Fairless Hills will use the grant to provide educational support for special needs children with a focus on those at risk for behavioral health problems.

Access Services’ Growing Together for Life program in Ivyland which serves Bucks County will use the grant to provide improved leisure activities for clients, which helps strengthen family bonds and offers opportunities for recreation. Access Services provides support services for adults & children with special needs and their families.

Special Equestrians’ Equine Facilitated Learning in Warrington focuses on special needs children and youth with behavioral problems. It seeks to improve the physical, mental and emotional well being of individuals with disabilities through the equine experience.

Pearl S. Buck International’s program for children with special needs provides support for adoptive Asian families. Located in Perkasie, Pearl S. Buck International is committed to improving the quality of life, expanding opportunities for children and promoting an understanding of the values and attributes of other cultures, the injustice of prejudice, and the need for humanitarianism throughout the world.

A Woman’s Place’s Healthy Families, Healthy Kids program in Doylestown supports families in their transition back to the community after experiencing a crisis and spending time in an emergency shelter. As the only domestic violence organization in Bucks County, Pa., A Woman’s Place provides support, education, outreach, and advocacy to victims of domestic and dating violence and their children and the community.

Ivy Hill Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Perkasie will use the grant for their Youth to Work program, which provides vocational training opportunities for special needs youth. Ivy Hill is committed to establishing, maintaining and delivering programs designed to enhance the lives of individuals with physical, social, educational and/or psychological challenges.

Central Bucks School District in Doylestown received a grant in support of their Elementary School Vegetable Garden, which assists in the development of social skills and self-esteem for special needs children. It blends children with typical development with special needs children to improve socialization, tolerance and self-esteem.

Six organizations received Capital Grants from Foundations Community Partnership:

Bristol Riverside Theater in Bristol received a grant to replace their outdated theater lighting system. The Theater provides services for special needs and disadvantaged youth in Bucks County.

Bucks County Children’s Museum in New Hope will use the grant to support their Bucks County Country Exhibit, which features educational and sensory activities with a focus on special needs children. The Bucks County Children’s Museum’s mission is to be a fun, interactive and educational environment for children, parents and schools with exhibits that reflect Bucks County’s unique history and culture.

Pearl S. Buck House in Perkasie received a grant for the preservation of the Pearl S. Buck House and Museum. The organization provides support and services to vulnerable children and their families.

The Mercer Museum in Doylestown, which provides history education to students and teachers in Bucks County, including special needs children, will use the grant for Mercer Library Conservation. The Mercer Museum Library is the major research center for local and family history related to Bucks County and the surrounding region.

Child, Home and Community in Doylestown will use the grant toward the purchase of a permanent home. The organization focuses on education and support programs for teenage pregnancy. They sponsor free childbirth classes, support groups, career counseling and other advocacy services to teens throughout Bucks & Montgomery Counties at dozens of locations.

Peaceful Living’s Creative Gifts Program in New Britain will use the grant to support their day program for young adults with developmental delays/autism.  Creative Gifts provides a unique community integrated mentoring service based on individual’s interests and talents which combines skill building, volunteer and recreational opportunities to create inclusive environments.

“The Board of Directors is pleased to support such worthwhile local organizations that truly make a difference in the community,” said Ron Bernstein, executive director, Foundations Community Partnership. “Our grant program helps the groups that are fulfilling unmet needs for underserved children and families in Bucks County.”

Photo:  Foundations Executive Director Ron Bernstein (left) presents a grant check to Conservatory Director Chris Dwyer (right) and Julie Waldron, FCP Summer Youth Corps intern.

Media contact:

Beth Brody
609-397-3737
beth@brodypr.com