Doylestown, PA (December 20, 2013) – Foundations Community Partnership’s Board of Directors has approved $160,000 in grant funding to support 17 Bucks County non-profit organizations and the families they serve. The grant program is an integral part of Foundations’ mission to improve the lives of youth and their families in Bucks County. The grants included $100,000 in Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) and $60,000 in Capital Grants.

FCP’s Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) were awarded to the following organizations and programs:

• The Peace Center in Langhorne will use the grant for their “Girl Talk” program, a mediation and anti-bullying program for elementary schools. Through discussion and activities related to what it means to be a woman in today’s world, girls learn about the power of our words to hurt or heal, the long-term effects of social isolation and rumor-mongering, and how to be an empowered bystander.

• Peace Valley Holistic Center in Chalfont will use the funding for their Education Advocacy Program, which educates parents and provides tools to help their child navigate student life. The program helps to build a bridge between the parent and the school by educating the parent about the administrative process. It also provides legal advice and helps special needs children

• The Central Bucks Family YMCA in Doylestown will fund the Ability Program, a mentoring program that builds character development, social and athletic skills among special needs children and youth. It also teaches tolerance to youth mentors.

• Network of Victims Assistance (NOVA) in Jamison will use the grant to perform extended forensic interviews. These sessions allow children to build a relationship and develop trust with the interviewer, who encourages vulnerable children and youth to disclose trauma.

• The Aldie Foundation in Doylestown will use the grant to benefit their Adolescent Counseling Program, which provides needed drug and alcohol treatment for teenagers in Bucks County.

• The Kelly Ann Dolan Foundation will use the funding for their Bucks County Fund, which advocates for families with seriously ill, physically and cognitively challenged, or severely injured children through information and education. Financial assistance for needs not covered by insurance and other assistance programs are provided to families.

• The Bucks County Community College Foundation will fund the Transition Coaching Program in Newtown, which provides transition support to college students with special needs and collaborates with local high schools and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. The program helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses and be aware of the differences between high school and college.

• Centennial School District, in Warminster, will use the grant for their Career Lab and Workplace Readiness program, which focuses on a transitional school year after twelfth grade for special needs students. Based on student centered real world supported experiences, the program teaches pre-vocational and vocational skills in a laboratory retail store.

• United Way of Bucks County will use the grant for Youth Community Service Projects, designed to allow children and youth to write mini-grants to develop needed human service projects, which is an opportunity to learn about needs and help implement solutions in society. United Way of Bucks County has offices in Doylestown and Fairless Hills.

• The American Red Cross of Southeastern Pa. will use the grant for the  Bucks County Nurse Assistant (CNA) Training Program in Sellersville, which will serve to transitional age, low-income young adults. As the healthcare field grows, the program will offer stable employment opportunities to a vulnerable, at-risk population.

• The NHP Foundation’s Levittown location will use the grant to provide after school and summer camp programs in Middletown Township to low-income families with children at risk for mental health .

 Six organizations received Capital Grants from Foundations Community Partnership:

• Bucks County Association for the Blind in Newtown will use the funding to provide van transportation for improved access to its programs. The Association supports people with blindness or other visual impairment and maximizes their ability to meet life’s daily challenges.

• Christ’s Home for Children in Warminster will use the grant to purchase an emergency generator for their Children’s Residential Program, providing safety if the power is out for an extended period.

• The Conservatory in Doylestown will use the grant to relocate to a larger space, improving services and increasing capacity.

• Chandler Hall Services in Newtown will build a new bathroom in their toddler classroom, to facilitate toilet training in two year olds.

• Central Bucks School District’s Academy Expansion Project in Doylestown will use the grant to purchase iPads, which will help improve education and services for transitional aged special needs youth.

• Valley Youth House in Warminster will use the funding toward the purchase of a trailer for a pilot program to assist homeless youth. The mission of Valley Youth House is to provide prevention and intervention services, counseling, life skills and behavioral health services to abused, neglected, and homeless youth and their families.

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

Foundations Community Partnership is a private non-profit operating foundation that supports behavioral health education and research, provides grants for non-profit organizations, awards scholarships to Bucks County high school seniors, subsidizes service learning internships for college students and underwrites community education programs. To learn more about Foundations and its mission please visit their website at www.fcpartnership.org or contact them at 267-247-5584.

Media contact:
Beth Brody
609-397-3737
beth@brodypr.com