The Berrien Community Foundation is excited to announce a new addition to their grant program that centers around youth in our area and how we can put them first. In partnership with Carolyn Hanson, Carolyn’s Kids will award two $50,000 grants to programs that support the needs of children in our community.
The idea began as a casual conversation between friends, and blossomed into much more.
““We were talking about the needs in the community, and I could see Carolyn’s passion to help children,” said Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey. “So, we decided to put something together that could use both of our resources, and would result in a way to make the lives of children better. It’s a great partnership and I’m really excited to see what this can do for children.”
“The children truly are the future,” says Carolyn Hanson. “I care so much about what happens to our kids. I’m so honored, proud and humbled that I can be part of doing something to help them.”
As this is the grants’ debut, its possibilities are endless. Carolyn’s Kids focuses on the belief that helping strengthen our children is crucial to the future of our world, and with the amount of excitement and devotion this project has already displayed, that task will be an easy one.
The Berrien Community Foundation provides grants and scholarships throughout Berrien County, as a union of concerned community members that puts charitable dollars to work through endowments or other funds. They have existed since 1952 and their mission is to ‘connect the power of people who care with causes and organizations that strengthen our communities’.
“The criteria for Carolyn’s Kids intentionally reflects a very broad range of ways to positively impact the lives of children,” Lisa says. “I encourage organizations to be creative and come to us with ideas. It can be supporting an existing program or trying something completely new.”
This grant opportunity is available to all non-profit organizations, schools, churches active in community work, and government organizations in the Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and Stevensville areas.
Carolyn’s Kids will look for programs that improve the lives of children by:
Meeting basic needs
Enhancing educational experiences
Addressing mental and emotional well being
Contributing to their safety and security
Preparing them for the future
Applications are now available through the Berrien Community Foundation website, and are due Tuesday, May 31. The winning applications will be announced in September at the Berrien Community Foundation Annual Meeting. To learn more about the Berrien Community Foundation, please visit berriencommunity.org, or visit their Facebook page.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM contributor
