Impact 100 Grant Recipients Selected

Impact 100 Grant Recipients Selected
At its Annual Meeting held at the Daphne Civic Center on November 1, Impact 100 Baldwin County selected five Baldwin County nonprofit organizations to receive $455,000 in grants. Each of the five nonprofits received $91,000 grants, one in each of Impact’s five focus groups: Arts and Culture; Education; Environment, Preservation and Recreation; Family; and Health and Wellness. The five organizations were selected from a very competitive group of applicants and vetted by a comprehensive review process by Impact members, including site visits and in-depth discussions about each of the projects. The five 2018 grant award winners were announced. This year’s grantees are: Baldwin County Youth Orchestra – Project: Baldwin Strings Academy – This grant will pay for additional string instruments that will allow for the expansion of the Baldwin County Youth Orchestra after-school strings program. Children in elementary schools in Elberta, Foley and Summerdale will now have access to this musical enrichment. A brand-new program for middle school students in Robertsdale is included in this project. Grant funds will also be used to cover instructor fees at all schools. Fairhope Point Clear Rotary Youth Programs, Inc. – Creating a Healthier Academic Environment – This grant will be used to restore, enhance and improve the Rotary Youth club gymnasium, which houses a library, tech classroom and teen room. The enhancements will help them meet current safety standards, be energy efficient and made usable for the needs of children pre-K through high school, as well as the community. The Miracle League of Coastal Alabama – All Inclusive Recreational Park. This grant will provide special playground equipment for the new all-inclusive park in Summerdale designed to enable persons with special needs to play side-by-side with their family and friends. The special equipment being purchased will include a sensory/music station, a “ZipKrooz” zip line with a chair, spinners, a wheelchair glider and swing set, ramps and more. Light of the City/Volunteers of America – Light the Way Family Initiative. Grant funds will provide for improvements and upgrades to the former Douglasville High School Campus, including construction of a 24’ x 24’ event and community gathering pavilion, resurfacing the gymnasium floor, creation of a 1/10-mile walking track, and the development of a community garden area. Big Fish Ministries – Facilitating Change, Championing Freedom, Fostering Hope. This grant will expand Big Fish Ministries’ residential treatment program to include women, allowing them to purchase the property currently housing the men’s program and convert it to a much- needed women’s facility.
Since its inception, Impact 100 Baldwin County has awarded 32 grants, totaling over $3 million to nonprofit organizations serving Baldwin County. Pictured: Reps from Miracle League, Fairhope Rotary and Big Fish Ministries accept their grants from Impact 100 members. (Jenni Guerry Photography)