JLH Announces 2012 – 2013 Community Assistant Grants

February 2013

The Junior League of Houston announced its 2012 – 2013 Community Assistant Grants, which provide financial support to worthwhile organizations that do not otherwise receive ongoing volunteer support or financial assistance through the League’s Community Program. The recipients will be formally recognized at a luncheon on March 1, 2013.

Recipients are chosen by the League’s Community Assistance Committee which considers a variety of factors including whether an agency’s request would address a critical or basic need, fund a pilot project or expand a significant service to the community. The League had budgeted $70,000 for Community Assistance for 2012 – 2013; however, the Junior League received its inaugural gift of $75,000 from The Junior League of Houston Foundation’s Community Endowment Fund for Community Assistance. This gift increased the total Community Assistance funding to $145,000, which has not been matched or exceeded since 1985.

For 2012 – 2013, the Junior League awarded $145,000 in Community Assistance Grants to the following agencies:

Archway Academy

Archway Academy offers high school students recovering from substance abuse and addiction a sober alternative to continue their education.

Elves & More

Elves & More is dedicated to “changing lives – one bike at a time!” The program focuses on at-risk children living in Greater Houston, an eight-county area where 330,000 children live in poverty.

Gracewood

Gracewood assists single mothers experiencing a temporary crisis that leaves them on the brink of poverty, homelessness or separation from their children. Gracewood fills a critical gap in the Houston community by offering a structured home while families build the life skills and resources needed for successful, independent living.

Nehemiah Center

The Nehemiah Center is an organization that offers academic, emotional, cultural, social and spiritual enrichment for at-risk children and their families in Houston’s Third Ward and beyond.

SpringSpirit Baseball

SpringSpirit Baseball offers mentoring, education programs and physical development to youth in the Northern Spring Branch community. SpringSpirit programs follow a unique model of integrating students’ education and physical fitness.

The Joy School

The Joy School offers developmentally appropriate and individualized education for children with significant learning disabilities that are academically behind their peers. The mission of The Joy School is to prepare students with learning differences to return to traditional classroom settings by enabling them to reach their academic and social potential in a safe, supportive environment.

The Woods Project

The Woods Project makes a difference in the lives of economically challenged Houston area youth through outdoor programming that expands their world vision and fosters the development of leadership and life skills that will be required to carry them to college and beyond.

Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) – The River

Through The River, TUTS provides accessible and affordable fine arts education to children and their siblings, ages 2 to 19, who live with disabilities, chronic illnesses or are economically disadvantaged.

Westside Homeless Partnership

The Westside Homeless Partnership has developed the Hand-Up Program designed to address the root problems that keep a family in poverty. This program helps clients secure or restore their housing situation and develop a nine-month plan that includes employment goals and educational achievements.

Young Audiences of Houston

Young Audiences of Houston (YAH) educates and inspires children through the arts. The organization aspires to make the arts an integral part of the school curriculum and advance the field of arts in education through teacher professional development training and community partnerships.