SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY

Our 2011 Competitive Grantees

Our grantees are the groups that make sure that services are available to those in need, our environment is protected and that the arts are a vital part of our community. These groups receive funds from the Foundation through the funds we manage for our donors as well as through our competitive grant round.

Alzheimer Society of Washington $3,000

to create a simple, easily accessible pathway for needy individuals to access donated and reduced cost behavioral health services; to increase use of behavioral health services by clinically and financially eligible persons.

Bellingham Bay Community Boating Center $5,000

to increase cold-water safety awareness in Bellingham Bay. Elements include training educators, airing PSA's, adapting curriculum for a school based pilot project, education booths at public events, website development and a public cold-water safety fair, webcam installation at Post Point.

Bellingham Railway Museum $4,480

for "Rails and Trails, Education and Fitness" - a program to provide guidebooks and trail head signage along three historic railroad routes in Bellingham. The public will enjoy scenic walks coupled with education about the history of railroads.

Brigid Collins $4,000

for the "Stewards of Children" Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training Program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action.

Camp Horizon Foundation $1,000

Lions Camp Horizon is opening a specialized camping session for 2011 that will focus on creating more opportunities for high functioning special needs individuals to participate in recreational activities that they would otherwise not get to partake in.

Clay for Earth $4,000

to support an after school video club that would offer ten weeks of documentary instruction and creation for youth of the Boys and Girls Club of Lynden. Kids would learn to film and edit, ultimately producing a short film on their individual stories.

Conservation Northwest $1,000

to reach out to community and business leaders (with materials and in person conversations) with a goal of having these leaders weigh in on the creation and management of a county park in the lake Whatcom drinking watershed.

Downtown Bellingham Partnership $5,000

to improve the Downtown Bellingham streetscape, support merchants and instill community pride. Downtown Bellingham Partnership, Allied Arts of Whatcom County, and the City of Bellingham are developing this program to fill vacant storefronts with original art installations and performances.

FACES Northwest $3,500

to expand the programs enrollment capacity in order to help more of our community's children with autism and improve access to the community through peer mentors, participation in community outings, and therapeutic activities.

Ferndale Community Resource Center $5,000

to ensure that a Strengthening Families Program is offered to families in Ferndale with youth 10-14. It is the only program that has been found over several decades to make a difference in youth vulnerability to deviant behaviors. The funding will cover honoraria for four experienced facilitators, food and materials for the class.

Futurewise Whatcom $10,000

to continue the Urban Livability advocacy to promote more compact, livable, and vital urban areas that are accessible by bike, foot and transit while enhancing economic development in Bellingham.

Lummi Youth Academy $1,000

The Academy will travel to New York summer of 2011 in an attempt to experience and contribute to Native American culture by attending Native American Museums and other hot spots, as well as the sites of the healing totem poles.

Mount Baker School District #507 $5,000

to implement a substance abuse prevention curriculum within an interactive and focused skill-building environment with an educational focus to support parents, youth and families in our communities.

NAMI of Whatcom County $2,500

supporting NAMI Community Education Classes, comprised of 3 courses - Peer to Peer for individuals with a mental illness, Family to Family for family and friends of individuals with mental illness, and NAMI Basics for parents of children or adolescents with mental illness.

Northwest Indian College $10,000

to support the the Lummi Traditional Foods Project, a community-based participatory research project that is testing an approach to improved food behaviors that emphasizes lifestyle changes based on traditional healthy diets. Hands-on educational activities are an important part of the project.

North Cascades Institute $7,049

for providing scholarships for 50-67 underserved Whatcom County youth to attend Mountain School, a multi-day environmental education program that takes place at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center in the heart of North Cascades National Park.

People for Puget Sound $3,000

to support "Kayaking Kids," a program that will engage youth, including the disadvantaged, in eradicating the invasive weed spartina in the waters of Whatcom County. The program is community and outdoor-oriented, using kayaks to survey and provide access for removal of the weeds.

Plantation Rifleman Club $3,000

to cover the cost of Plantation Range use and the expendable ammunition for 12 consecutive Saturday morning sessions of supervised smallbore (.22 rimfire) rifle shooting for kids 16 years of age or younger.

South Fork Valley Community Association $3,148

to continue civic development processes of enhancing Valley electronic communications, as well as provide educational, social and recreational programs offering networking and connectivity for families in the South Fork Valley.

The Western Foundation $1,782

for the Speech-Language Clinic at WWU development of an Autism Program and in collaboration with other service providers in the community, the program will provide a seamless referral, diagnosis and intervention system. Requested funding will provide seed money for program development.

Visiting Nurse Home Care $2,500

for the Friendly Visitors program to match qualified and trained volunteers with lonely and isolated seniors to foster their independence, safety and health.

Whatcom Family and Community Network $8,500

to expand the Whatcom Gang Prevention Team's initial ongoing community mobilization effort to four additional school/neighborhood sites and bring the current educational and mentoring programs to those new sites.

Whatcom Literacy Council $4,850

to provide accessible learning opportunities for the parents of elementary students at Roosevelt Elementary School who wish to improve their reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills.

Whatcom Museum Foundation $1,000

for a new program to provide free admission to qualified low-income families in Whatcom County. The Museum will work with county schools to serve families participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch program.

Y M C A $3,000

for Adventure Camp, an outdoor based affordable day camp. Utilizing the BSD's conservation site, we are committed to strengthening our community by nurturing the potential of youth, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility.

Young Writers Studio $1,100

Young Writers Studio is currently 100% volunteer run, school programs connecting students with adults to support and encourage effective communication through writing are being requested at a rapidly increasing rate. Funding would go toward recruitment and training of community volunteers.

Total Granted in 2011: $103,409