GiVE 365 Grants - 2011

Members chose nine organizations providing "fishing lessons" based on the adage: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.

Advance Memphis - $6,000 to support 15 participants in a six-week, 160-hour job readiness program for South Memphis adults living in the 38126 ZIP code. The curriculum includes financial literacy, computer literacy, GED preparation, and workplace skills such as conflict resolution, customer service, and effective communication. Successful graduates are eligible for other Advance Memphis programs, including training for warehouse jobs and certification as forklift operators.

CASA of Memphis and Shelby County - $7,500 for a program that helps youth ages 14-21 prepare to leave foster care and live independently. Without adequate preparation for this transition, national statistics show that youth leaving foster care face high rates of homelessness, incarceration, unplanned pregnancy, living in poverty, and dropping out of high school.

DeNeuville Learning Center - $3,025 for the expansion of a sewing program successfully launched earlier this year. The program provides instruction, materials, and childcare for low-income women served by DeNeuville. The women learn a skill that allows them to build confidence, earn money, and save on household expenses by making gifts, sewing and mending clothing, and making household decorations.

HopeWorks student Roach (center) listens intently to instructor Antonio Owen (right) during a class at Midtown Church of Christ. The 13-week program has had more than 600 graduates since it was established in 1988. (The Commercial Appeal - June 11, 2011)

HopeWorks - $6,253 for three chronically unemployed adults to participate in HopeWorks’ 13-week personal and career development program modeled after a successful national program. The participants, many with criminal backgrounds or without high school diplomas, learn to identify their interests and abilities, and to match those with jobs. In group and individual sessions, they learn what makes a good employee, how to apply for a job, and how to make informed decisions.

JIFF (Juvenile Intervention and Faith-Based Follow Up) - $6,000 for a culinary training program for youth referred by juvenile court and other organizations to provide career training with a goal of providing employment and preventing future trips to court. The students receive classroom and hands-on training, followed by a six-week training program in local restaurants or institutions. The culinary training is combined with mentoring, plus training in math, writing, etiquette, and customer service. Grants funds will allow participants to keep their Culinary Essentials textbooks for continued reference throughout their careers.

Literacy Mid-South - $5,000 to help adults reading below a fifth-grade level improve their basic literacy skills. Literacy Mid-South connects 250 volunteer tutors with adults who need help with vital daily activities such as reading labels, signs, medicine bottles, news media, correspondence, and materials required for their jobs. Grant funds will pay part of the agency’s annual costs for textbooks, workbooks, and other supplies.

Memphis Interfaith Hospitality Network - $7,500 for a counseling program for families in emergency housing to help them avoid becoming homeless again. The counseling program focuses on practical issues such as obtaining food stamps and other government assistance, developing a budget and debt repayment strategy, and finding jobs.

Su Casa Family Ministries - $3,000 to add a computer lab to the successful English as a Second Language program now offered to the Hispanic community in the Berclair and Kingsbury neighborhoods. Now an independent nonprofit organization, Su Casa began as an outgrowth of the involvement of Second Presbyterian Church with Berclair through the Adopt-A-School program.

Veritas College Preparatory Charter School - $5,000 to buy books, magazines and other printed material for individual classroom libraries within the school located in Downtown Memphis. Many of the students arrive at Veritas Prep reading below their grade level. The school has an extended day, which allows for extra time spent on reading. A key part of the reading instruction is the availability within the classroom of printed materials at different reading levels to match the students’ abilities.