Grants

Year 2013

Alternative Medicine $49,800

Comer Children’s Hospital

Project Title
Integrative Medicine Residency Program
Amount
$24,800
Category
Alternative Medicine
Year
2013
Location
Chicago, IL

The second year of a $48,300 two-year grant to support a residency training program for integrative/alternative medicine, including training for the next generation of pediatricians in integrative medicine, as well as funding for iPads, biofeedback and additional resources for pediatric patients that are coping with serious illness and pain. The program also provides nurse training in complementary and alternative medicine. The Pediatric Comfort Team was launched by the hospital to address the suffering and pain of children with serious, chronic illness. The team uses CAM to optimize the quality of life for children receiving palliative care with a focus on treating underserved children, reflecting a growing recognition that a palliative care team is a critical part of a comprehensive pediatric oncology program.

Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care

Project Title
CAM Therapies for Children Program
Amount
$25,000
Category
Alternative Medicine
Year
2013
Location
Chicago, IL

A philanthropic program that assists children facing life-limiting illness with CAM pain and symptom management hospice while they continue to pursue aggressive, curative treatments. These treatments will, typically, be provided in the comfort of the patient’s home. (merged with JourneyCare)

Assisting Sick and Abused Children $190,721

Alexian Brothers Foundation

Project Title
Scholarship Program for disadvantaged children with Autism
Amount
$15,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL

The Autism Spectrum & Developmental Disorders Resource Center helps families navigate the complex world of services and treatments for children from economically challenged families. Social deficits remain one of the most difficult challenges for children with Autism disorders, especially for those with average or above average cognitive skills. This grant provides scholarships so that these children can participate in the Social Wellness or Social Success Groups which would otherwise be closed to them (Medicaid will not pay for these social group sessions.).

Children’s Home + Aid

Project Title
Trauma-informed Therapeutic Interventions Program
Amount
$24,696
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Evanston, IL

The Rice Center offers high-level treatment and programming for extremely vulnerable children who are in need of 24 hour care. The Trauma-informed Therapeutic Interventions Program, given to each new child during initial mental health assessment (within 30 days of intake), and to each current client at the time of their treatment plan reviews (every three months), will dramatically improve therapeutic services at the Rice Center. The goal of the program is to enable traumatized children to move back into the community as a part of a stable family, as a participating member of a mainstream school, and as a fully contributing member of society.

Children’s Oncology Services

Project Title
One Step at a Time Summer Camp for children with cancer
Amount
$10,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Chicago, IL

Unique recreational, educational, and therapeutic program to help meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of children (7-10 years old) diagnosed with cancer. The grant helps to underwrite room & board, transportation, and program/medical supplies expenses associated with the operation of the camp. Inasmuch as some participants have cognitive issues or disabilities, adaptive equipment is also provided for those campers. These programs help the children to bond with each other, and their supervisors, in a non-hospital setting, challenging them to learn new skills, while providing access to sports, camping, and other activities. The skills, lessons, support, and hope these children gain at camp empowers them as they return home to face the challenges of cancer after learning they are more than cancer patients, they are survivors!

Children’s Place Association

Project Title
Foster Care and Adoption Program
Amount
$6,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Chicago, IL

The grant is for transitional services and supplies (food, medications, clothing, & personal items) used within the Foster Care and Adoption Program for ten children being placed in stable, nurturing foster homes until they can return to their biological families or are adopted. The program serves children with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, diabetes, substance exposure, shaken baby syndrome, heart ailments of complications of prematurity or HIV infection. All of the children come from predominantly low-income families living in communities with little access to social services.

Elyssa’s Mission

Project Title
Signs of Suicide Program
Amount
$10,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Northfield, IL

The Mission provides resources to support at-risk teens and prevent suicide. The SOS is an evidence-based suicide prevention program for middle and high schools where it is the only such program to show a 40% reduction in self-reported suicide attempts in a randomized, controlled study. It was selected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for its National Registry of Effective Programs and Practices. The grant will help the Mission to expand its very effective SOS Program to new schools and health care professionals in the greater Chicago area.

George R. Bell Youth Opportunity Fund

Project Title
Golf First Program
Amount
$3,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Libertyville, IL

Golf First Program

Helping Hand Center

Project Title
Technology Support Program
Amount
$25,175
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Countryside, IL

Helping Hand is a school for children with Autism learn to live independently once they have reached majority. The grant will assist the school in the purchase of technology to be used in the classroom to enhance teaching and promote learning. Inasmuch as many of the children cannot hold a pencil or communicate, the program enhances their learning experience and communications through differential instruction techniques. Since the majority of the children with Autism are visual and kinesthetic learners the use of SMART Boards utilizing finger touch capability, IPads and data management systems to allow students to easily respond to instructions and other stimuli being used in the classroom. The technological equipment will also help maintain discipline and increase engagement of students.

Horsefeathers Therapeutic Riding

Project Title
Economic Need Scholarships
Amount
$10,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Lake Forest, IL

Grant provides three each full-year scholarships for economically challenged families with sick children and also provides for the purchase of a computer, digital camera, and software to be used for patient evaluation and records documentation.

NEDSRA

Project Title
Camp Exploration and Little Explorers Program
Amount
$10,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Addison, IL

The fifth extension of a one-year grant program to provide much needed, recreational services specifically designed for children with autism spectrum disorder. Exclusive summer camp programs give these children a more structured environment to provide continuity from school year to school year and prevent loss of skill development over the summer. The children are given an opportunity to experience community outings (museum tours, zoo visits, water park exploration, library visits), in-house activities (arts/ crafts projects, interactive play, cooking), as well as art and music therapy.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

Project Title
Child Nutrition Program
Amount
$25,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Geneva, IL

This is the fifth extension of a one-year grant program to provide after-school snacks and suppers, summer lunches and weekend food-filled backpacks for low-income children at risk of hunger. In these poverty stricken homes, lack of nutritious food affects a child’s ability to develop and perform academically, physically, emotionally and socially. The NIFB serves over 3,000 children daily, these lunches are typically the only meal the children receive each day.

Project H.E.L.P.

Project Title
Parent Educational Classes Program
Amount
$5,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Naperville, IL

Project HELP is a Child Abuse Prevention Center that empowers parents to create a nurturing environment to enhance children to reach their full potential. The PEC teaches parents to use natural and logical consequences to reduce irresponsible and unacceptable behaviors of children in order to lessen the chance of abusive discipline.

Quentin Road Dyslexia Solutions

Project Title
Help Economically Disadvantaged Students Program
Amount
$15,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Lake Zurich, IL

Grant provides financial aid so that economically disadvantaged students can attend this life changing program to improve their reading and comprehension skills so they can interact at the appropriate grade level.

Shelter, Inc.

Project Title
Special Assistance Fund
Amount
$10,000
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Arlington Heights, IL

Shelter’s mission is to help and protect children who are abused, neglected, or dependent by providing 24-hour emergency and longer-term care. The Fund covers the cost of critical and immediate health needs for adolescents who are uninsured and unable to access private or state health insurance. These children are provided with additional medical visits, dental visits, prescription medications, glasses, and medical equipment that the children would not otherwise have available to them. The Shelter also provides for health screenings and physicals necessary to detect health problems.

United Way of Missoula County

Project Title
Mikaslyn Larson Fund
Amount
$15,500
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Missoula, MT

Mikaslyn Larson, an 8 year little girl born with a serious neuromuscular disorder was in critical need of surgery to correct the disorder. In 2010 the community, state, nation and world showed its compassion by responding to the family’s plea for help. While Mikaslyn has shown great progress, she is wheel chair bound and the family cannot transport her anymore in a standard automobile. The purpose of this grant is to provide funds with which to purchase a used handicapped conversion van for Mikaslyn.

geographic exception

WINGS

Project Title
Family Enrichment Project
Amount
$6,350
Category
Assisting Sick and Abused Children
Year
2013
Location
Palatine, IL

The purpose of this Project is to introduce underprivileged children in the agency’s transitional and emergency housing to cultural opportunities, develop children’s social skills in public settings, and promote healthy interactions between mothers and children as well as to promote values such as curiosity, empathy, self control, and tolerance. The end result of the project will be to break the cycle of abuse, violence and poverty in future generations.

Environment $129,190

Citizens for Conservation

Project Title
Native Habitat Intern Restoration Project
Amount
$16,190
Category
Environment
Year
2013
Location
Barrington, IL

Funding for four, college summer interns who participate in weed control, seed production, planting plugs, education functions, and other miscellaneous conservation issues as part of a native habitat restoration project to return the Flint Creek Savanna, and other critical properties in the Barrington area, to their original (pre-1840) condition of tall grass prairie, oak and hickory savannas, sedge meadows, and wetlands as a habitat for bluebirds, bob-o-links and sand hill cranes.

Clean Wisconsin

Project Title
Mercury Pollution Reduction Campaign
Amount
$15,000
Category
Environment
Year
2013
Location
Madison, WI

A fourth year and final extension of a grant to reduce toxic mercury pollution, especially at the proposed Elm Road Coal Plant. Methylmercury contamination poses a significant health risk, especially for developing fetuses and children. Clean Wisconsin is advocating for the adoption of stronger mercury reduction rules for the state’s power plants and for a ban on certain products containing mercury. Also, it is necessary to prevent future illegal sources of mercury pollution, such as the proposed cooling system for the Elm Road plant, which would add significant mercury pollution to Lake Michigan.

Friends of the Chicago River

Project Title
Water Quality Standards Improvement Project
Amount
$20,000
Category
Environment
Year
2013
Location
Chicago, IL

The centerpiece of Friends’ policy initiatives and advocacy efforts which focuses upon a disinfection of sewage plant effluent and adjustments to temperature standards for improving the water quality of the Chicago River so that it can support a diverse range of aquatic life, be fully utilized as a recreational resource, and eliminate a severe health risk.

Land Conservancy of MchHenry County

Project Title
Development Expansion Program
Amount
$15,000
Category
Environment
Year
2013
Location
Woodstock, IL

A grant to assist the Conservancy in expanding its capacity to effectively manage stewardship of its growing owned, managed, and preserved properties portfolio, increase and develop stewardship income streams through contracts with conservation easement land owners.

National Resources Defense Council

Project Title
Partnership for the Earth - Save Endangered Wild Places
Amount
$8,000
Category
Environment
Year
2013
Location
New York, NY

A grant matched by the Vervane Foundation to win permanent protection of endangered wild regions that surround and encompass NRDC BioGems – unspoiled ecosystems threatened by development. Specifically, to preserve vastly more wilderness through market-driven solutions that will spur industry to transform destructive practices, with the NRDC will insure is permanent by helping to craft far reaching agreements with governments and landowners wherever possible.

discretionary

Openlands Project

Project Title
Kishwaukee River Landowner's Collaborative Project
Amount
$30,000
Category
Environment
Year
2013
Location
Chicago, IL

The purpose of this project is to lay the groundwork for a long-needed approach to outreach to, and enlist the participation private property owners to protect and enhance the biodiversity in this valuable river system. The project would expand the natural resource baseline data of the Kishwaukee River watershed, while identifying a minimum of 1000 landowners who would participate in protecting and enhancing riparian habitat on their property contiguous to the River. Openlands will lead this effort to build commitments from the individual members of the Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership made up the Boone County and McHenry County Conservation Districts, the DeKalb and Winnebago County Forest Preserve Districts, the Natural Land Institute, the Land Conservancy of McHenry County, Northern Illinois University, and the Rockford Park District.

Vital Ground Foundation

Project Title
Alvord Lake Community Forest Project
Amount
$25,000
Category
Environment
Year
2015
Location
Missoula, MT

The mission of Vital Ground is to protect and restore North America’s grizzly bear populations by conserving wildlife habitat through the primary strategy of land acquisition and conservation easements. The 143-acre piece of land at Alvord Lake (east of Troy, Montana) is home to grizzly bears, lynx, wolverines and loons giving it significant conservation value. Seeking to protect the land from undesirable and certain development, Vital Ground partnered with the owners, community and other funders to purchase the land. The project is unique in its benefits not only to environmental conservation and education, but its focus on securing public access and enjoyment of the entirety of Alvord Lake.

geographic exception

Other Grants $23,286

Elmhurst College

Project Title
Educational Assistance Program
Amount
$23,286
Category
Other Grants
Year
2013
Location
Elmhurst, IL

The EAP was established to assist an exceptional graduating student from a Lake County high school who would not be able to further his/her education without financial assistance. The EAP of up to $25,000 annually is being administered by Elmhurst College for the payment of tuition, fees, R&B, and books (less any other grants, awards, scholarships of funding received by the recipient) for attendance at Elmhurst College.

Total: $392,997