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Featuring 2008 grants from our BFJ Chapters
Austin | Denver | Flagstaf | Oakland | Orange County
Portland | Santa Fe | Seattle | Sebastopol | SW Michigan | Wilmington
Giving Voice to Promising Young Leaders
“The CIPHER – Austin’s Hip Hop Project” provides training, exposure to the Austin music industry, and other new experiences for youth living in educationally and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in East Austin. The founders’ vision is to help develop young leaders, writers, spoken-word and Hip-Hop artists, with the intent of strengthening these communities in various ways. The teachers themselves grew up here, and found ways to make their voices heard through the arts. The project has recruited 25 young adults (ages 15-21), mostly referred by probation officers and various social-service organizations throughout Austin. The skills gained through the program will take them farther in life than they would have thought possible. By engaging the youth in community events, rallies and festivals, and providing opportunities to meet with committed mentors, musicians, poets, and community leaders, they will establish positive relationships, develop new coping skills, and create their own opportunities in culturally relevant ways. Bread for the Journey of Austin was delighted to support the production of the Project’s first CD with a $1000 grant.
The Power of Hats, Hair and Heart
As a breast cancer survivor and the founder of the Breast Cancer Advocacy, Awareness, and Outreach Center, Deborah Duncan Hurdle had a long-held dream to host Austin’s First Cultural Showcase of Hats, Hair, and Health in September 2008. With the African American population disproportionately affected by Breast Cancer, this Showcase will celebrate the cultural interlacing of hats, hair, and health, while raising awareness of the need for self-exams, mammograms, and the community supports that are available to those in need. Bread for the Journey of Austin was proud to grant $1000 in order to assist Deborah with this worthwhile endeavor.
A Sanctuary for Seniors
Ms. Ethyl Sharp describes the Senior Program at St. John’s Community Center in Northeast Austin as “The United Nations.” The program has a history of “caring and sharing … a place where peace abounds … because of its diversity, it should be a model for all America to see.” Bread for the Journey of Austin supported Ethyl’s vision for a garden sanctuary, providing $500 for benches, birdfeeders, and shrubs to complement the raised garden beds where seniors cultivate vegetables and herbs to share with others. “All are welcome to this sanctuary,” as Ms. Sharp proclaimed. ”Love is the warden” at 7500 Blessing Avenue in Austin.
Taste of Whittier
A few years back, a group of parents joined forces to support the local school and build stability in the Whittier neighborhood of Denver. An area in transition, Whittier has many low-income families, and also young families who have recently become attracted by its central location and historic housing stock. The Taste of Whittier event has grown out of their efforts. Bread for the Journey of Denver contributed $750 to cover costs that could not be raised from other sources. The event will spotlight the diversity of cultures and businesses that make up the neighborhood. Funds raised from the event will benefit the school by helping to support its dances, student council, plays and musicals — the types of events that help to build great memories for school kids everywhere.
The Northern Arizona Forum on Leadership
One snowy day in December, some friends were talking politics over lunch. While everyone knew where their candidates stood on the issues of the day, no one had thought about how each of them would react to something unforeseen. If elected, how would their candidate go about making the necessary decisions? The friends decided to ask a diverse group of distinguished local citizens to describe the qualities they look for in potential leaders. The audience would be provided with blank “voter’s guides” to fill out during the program, for use in evaluating the statements and actions of candidates in the upcoming Arizona primary. When the day came, about seventy people listened to insights from diverse individuals, resulting in a convergence of views about what a good leader has to offer. Bread for the Journey of Flagstaff sponsored the Northern Arizona Forum on Leadership with $225 for miscellaneous needs, from copy services to refreshments.
Social Justice Educational Workshops
After successfully establishing On the Bricks as a mentorship program for at-risk and incarcerated youth, former participants wanted to become more involved in their community. During the mentorship program, they engaged in one-on-one and peer group counseling, as well as other workshops specifically designed for them. On the heels of this experience, they approached On the Bricks’ program leader Tony Coleman with a desire to help others by sharing what they learned. Former program participants will be trained to facilitate workshops in the Bay Area primarily for at-risk and formally incarcerated youth. The workshops will be tailored to youth, young adults, and staff with a focus on political education, conflict resolution, and leadership. Bread for the Journey of Oakland granted $600 to One Fam, the organization representing the workshop project, as seed money to help the program get off the ground.
An Angel for the Homeless
The homeless population of Orange County is estimated at 35,000 and growing. For four years, Sue Sonnenberg and her volunteers have been frequenting parking lots, emergency shelters, and mental health facilities in Santa Ana, distributing over 1200 pieces of clothing a month. They set up tables with the clothing ordered by gender and size, have a numbered waiting system, and call most of the recipients by name. Sue is particularly delighted when she can give someone with an upcoming job interview an appropriate outfit, plus a five-piece toiletry pack with a razor. "It's such an esteem builder to feel decent about the way you look." Each year, clothing stores and private individuals dispose of thousands of items without considering the poor and homeless, or even taking the items to thrift stores. Through a $1500 grant, Bread for the Journey of Orange Country partnered with Sue to help with storage rental and the purchase of underwear, which is hard to find in good used condition.
Many and One
Founded by Pious Ali, the Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance is dedicated to bringing together youths of myriad religious, national, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds who are interested in bridging gaps and coming to understand and appreciate each other more deeply. MIYA intends to hold regular gatherings, run educational programs and present communal art that speaks to our collective need to know and love each other in spite of our differences. Additionally, they will introduce an Interfaith Youth Service program where youth of various traditions will come together for annual service projects that benefit the Greater Portland community. Bread for the Journey of Portland granted $1800 to Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance to purchase a laptop computer and other startup supplies.
Viva Bikes
Nine years ago, Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe gave bicycle enthusiast Richy Green a small grant for tools so that he and some friends could repair and give away old bicycles. Since then, Richy has formed a nonprofit organization called Viva Bikes, Inc. He is aware that many young people between 13 and 18 years of age would love to ride a bicycle, but cannot afford to own one. As a solution, Richy plans to loan a bike and helmet to ten young people for participation in a five-mile bike ride — twice a month for six months — on a beginner’s trail out in the beautiful countryside east of Taos. Instructors will teach safety checks, and everyone will be required to wear helmets, as well as bring water and snacks. The ride will include a stop along the way to rest, enjoy a snack, and discuss the environment in that setting. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe gave Richy $1,000 to buy ten helmets and to cover the estimated $216 in fuel costs for van transport of the kids and the bicycles on a total of twelve trips.
Planting Time
Miguel Santistevan loves the land in northern New Mexico where he was born and raised. Currently a Ph.D. candidate in biology at the University of New Mexico, he has planted small fields with youth over the years, and now wants to expand this work since inheriting two acres that have been in his family for generations. Students from Antioch College in Ohio, University of California in Santa Cruz, and a Native American charter school in Albuquerque — as well as other local schools — have come to participate in his workshops and experimental seed-saving farm. As Miguel is opposed to burning, he always cultivates by hand and turns the plant scrub back into the soil. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe was happy to support his youth mentorship program in agricultural work by granting Miguel $1000 to purchase a cutter bar and a hiller/furrower.
Young Peacemakers
Dr. Jim Kavanaugh (a licensed child psychologist, freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker) and Dr. Selena Sermeno (the Ambassador of the Bartos Institute for the Creative Engagement of Conflict) intend to create a film that will illustrate the power of approaching our inevitable human differences with an open mind, a commitment to human rights, a forgiving heart, and respectful dialogue. This will be accomplished through the voices of former alumni, current students, volunteer mentors, and community leaders and other young people from around the world. Dialogues among students in oppositional cultures will form part of the training aspect of the film. The film will be distributed to schools and communities throughout the USA. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe was delighted to provide $2,500 for the short demo film, which will be used to raise awareness and additional funding to complete the full-length version.
Palliative Care
Marcy Grace and a small group of people in Santa Fe want to create an in-patient freestanding facility for dying patients without the restrictions of traditional Medicare Hospice, and to set up a point of entry into the system for patients with life-challenging illnesses. They have formed a nonprofit group called Palliative Care Services of Santa Fe and have connected themselves with Baylor University Palliative Care in Dallas in order to be able to access the most cutting-edge information in the field. Marcy approached Bread for the Journey with a request for $2,500 to defray the costs of printing a fairly substantial packet of materials for prospective donors. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe was happy to grant their request to help get this project off the ground.
Incarcerated Youth: Inspiring Empathy, Building Skills
Canine Connections has a program that allows incarcerated youth in Echo Glen — a high security juvenile corrections facility near Seattle — to rescue dogs from shelters, train them as service dogs, and operate and manage a boarding kennel. Through “patience, persistence, praise, and practice,” the kids train and socialize dogs rescued from “dog death row,” which are later adopted out into the larger community. The dogs help the kids learn to change their own behavior, and the kids discover their capacity to help others. Kids leave Echo Glen with a stronger sense of their own strengths and with newfound skills as dog trainers, groomers, kennel managers, vet technicians, and responsible pet owners. Bread for the Journey of Seattle gave $300 to Canine Connections in support of this remarkable program.
TeenHOPE
An organization serving homeless and at-risk youth in the greater Seattle area, TeenHOPE has three commendable programs: the Emergency Shelter, the Street Outreach Program, and the PeaceTable Mediation Program. They house, clothe and feed 170 young people each year. Additionally, the outreach program sends vans into the community three times per week to provide meals and simple care packages to teens who live out on the street. Bread for the Journey of Seattle was pleased to give TeenHOPE a $500 grant to fund a river rafting adventure for the shelter’s residents.
Mind Body Connection
Parkwood Elementary School is a beautifully diverse learning community just north of Seattle that believes dance can help students to make a visceral connection to the abstract concepts they are learning in class and develop a greater sense of physical space and motion. Toward this end, Parkwood has partnered with artist Eric Johnson to integrate dance and movement into the existing curriculum. Bread for the Journey of Seattle gave a grant of $135 to cover the costs of a visit by the artist to the annual school wide arts showcase, where he spoke to parents about the program and gave a demonstration lesson.
Earth Roots Sustainability Camp
Earth Roots Collective Sustainability Camp started in the summer of 2007, with the shared intention of teaching children skills in sustainable living, organic gardening, and the expressive arts. The camp’s projects and workshops included gardening, composting, animal husbandry, green building with cob, herbal crafting, solar energy, basket weaving, native storytelling, eco-art, yoga, and water-quality monitoring. The 10-week camp takes place at the 50-acre Laguna Farm. This year, with a grant of $1500 from Bread for the Journey of Sebastopol, they are working on expanding their outdoor kitchen and cob stove so they can accommodate more students.
A Gift of Time and Creative Energy
We’re constantly reminded that not all seed grants come in the form of money. Bread for the Journey of Sebastopol’s Sharon Bard and Susan Harman met with Pablo Rodriguez at a local coffee shop, where it became clear that Pablo could benefit from a boost of “idea power.” Pablo is a singer and vocal teacher who also teaches schoolchildren about music, using methods that are dynamic, creative and fun. He needed to raise money to repair older instruments and supply the program with new ones, so that he could add workshops — even charging a small fee — to continue expanding the program. During this brainstorming session, they were able to come up with several concrete ways for Pablo to make his project self-sustaining. Pablo was thrilled with the gift of time and creative energy, and everyone had fun expanding on each other’s ideas. It was a delightful exchange and a serendipitous win-win for all concerned.
FIRE!
Denise Miller and Michelle Johnson have spent many years as community healers, working in the areas of counseling, education, and sustainability. In 2005, they bought the former Portage Fire Station in the Edison neighborhood of Kalamazoo, with the vision of creating FIRE! — a community gathering place that currently offers programming in the arts (poetry, music, visual arts) and movement (tai chi, yoga). As their vision has expanded, FIRE! is also becoming a hub of economic stimulus for the community. Their long-term vision is of a place where people can learn skills related to areas they are passionate about that will also lead to paid work. Examples include: poetry workshops on both the craft and the publication process; opportunities for local landscapers to beautify the neighborhood; awarding recording sessions to young musicians to learn about music production; or teaching sustainable cleaning practices to the cleaning staff. FIRE! is currently home to the house band The Movement, Abstraction Theatre, Just Panda (the Kalamazoo College improv group), and others. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan was very pleased to provide a grant of $3000 for legal fees for FIRE! to become a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
No Sweat
Stephanie Willette and Mariah Frye are students at Kalamazoo College, which has a renowned study-abroad program that many students participate in during their junior year. While continuing their studies abroad, the students also work with organizations that the school has established long-term relationships with. As a result, the students come to understand and deeply appreciate the day-to-day realities of life in these countries.
An organization called “No Sweat” – founded by students at K College – will be selling fair trade crafts in the college bookstore that will be brought back by the students after their time abroad. Profits from sales will be sent to the craftspeople, and their stories will be included with the items sold. Networks will develop further as the older returning students serve as mentors for the younger students preparing for their time abroad. Everyone involved hopes to expand the sales to a store in town called Terrapin. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan was pleased to help launch the program with a $350 grant to support the purchase of 100 necklaces from Ecuador.
Open Door Urban Garden Project
Ashley Bishop and Julie Kaufman, started a youth-centered organic garden in 2007 at the Open Door Church in Kalamazoo’s Eastside neighborhood. In its first year, neighborhood residents helped construct the gardens and children attended classes on gardening and sustainability issues. Participants received produce from the garden for free, and any remaining was sold to church members at very reasonable prices. This year, Ashley wants to expand the program through sales to a wider clientele. A public produce stand will help the children learn about handling money and running a business, and will give low-income families in the area access to organic produce. Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan was pleased to provide a grant of $812.44 in support of this project.
Gee…You Will Project
The “Gee…You Will” Project is dedicated to empowering women and to giving them the tools they need to live happy, prosperous and successful lives. Their formalwear initiative provides dresses to women who are not otherwise able to afford them. “Gee…You Will” also offers a mentoring component and hosts more than 50 women at the three-day “Women Supporting Women through Opportunity Conference.” Bread for the Journey of Wilmington was happy to grant the “Gee…You Will” Project $500 to apply for nonprofit status.
Urban Bike Project
Urban Bike Project is a small non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the community's needs by educating and promoting cycling as a safe, practical, cost-efficient mode of transportation. Their facilities provide a means for the public to become more self-sufficient, both in bicycle maintenance and transportation. They are currently working on setting up a few public workshops. Bread for the Journey of Wilmington was happy to grant the Urban Bike Project $500 for the first year’s insurance.
Formal Dress Project
Attendance at her school prom was among the highlights in Tracy Burns’ young life. Having grown up in a family where community service was very important, Tracy now collects new and gently used prom dresses. With assistance from The Foster Care Association, YWCA, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Club and others, many girls in New Castle County who would not have attended their proms for financial reasons now have the opportunity to obtain a dress, free of charge. They can also use the dress for other special occasions. Bread for the Journey of Wilmington was happy to grant the Formal Dress Project $500 to apply for nonprofit status.