June 14, 2004 – In its 8th annual awarding of mini-grants, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands has disbursed $35,000 to support a total of 63 local programs and projects aimed at improving the lives of children and families in the territory.
The awards range from $1,000 to $250 and support "a wide range of service organizations and individuals working to prevent and meet current social challenges including abused and neglected children, domestic violence, drug abuse and illiteracy," a release from CFVI stated.
This year's mini-grants support "a variety of supervised and structured summer programs designed for both learning and fun. Developing leadership skills, confidence and academic competency are the goals of many of these programs."
Since the award program was instituted in 1997, the foundation has given out more than 300 mini-grants totaling $245,000. The money has gone toward helping agencies and individuals fund "the development and implementation of educational programs and community services that directly address the needs of youth and families" in the territory, according to the release.
The awards are made possible through donations to the Community Foundation of the V.I. by the Angels of CFVI and the Prosser ICC Foundation.
Following, alphabetical order by island, are the 2004 mini-grant award winners and the uses for which their grants are intended. For those wishing more information about the programs and projects funded, contact names and numbers are provided.
St. Thomas
Addelita Cancryn Junior High School – $500 for transportation to activities and materials for craft and community service projects (Theresa Hodge, 775-6373).
Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School Library – $300 for digital camera, scanner/printer, printing supplies and transportation for field trips (Soraya Potter, 775-4222).
Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School Parent-Teacher Association – $500 for transportation costs and meeting expenses (St. Clair DeSilva, 775-4422).
Catholic Charities of the V.I. – $780 for field trips, T-shirts and craft materials (Elouise Benjamin, 777-8518).
Charlotte Amalie High School – $400 for books and/or magazines (Nancy B. Christie, 775-0884).
Charlotte Amalie High School Art Department – $500 for an opaque projector, paint, scaffolding and other items (Edney Freeman, 774-0780).
Charlotte Amalie High School English Department – $500 for assistance in publishing the school newspaper (Irose Payne-Chalon, 774-5640).
Cheetah's Tracks – $600 for racing uniforms and track shoes (Dale Joseph, 777-3959).
Eudora Kean High School Photography Club – $1,000 to purchase a photo printer, scanner, chemicals, frames, film, mats, paper and more (Barbara Young, 774-7345).
Family Resource Center Inc. – $500 for emergency care bags for victims, toiletries, T-shirts and more (Michal Rhymer-Charles, 776-3966).
The Friends of the St. Thomas Public Libraries – $500 for puzzles, games, special books, arts and crafts materials, snacks and more (Patricia Harkins-Pierre, 693-1357).
Joseph Gomez School – $500 for a weekend trip and purchase of equipment (Keith Edwards, 715-2361).
Junior Firefighters Corps. – $1,000 for fire prevention, rescue, law enforcement and safety training (Daryl George, 777-8060).
Junior Rescue Inc. – $500 for supplies such as stethoscopes and rescue medic bags (Walter Brown, 643-4458).
Landscape Program in Estate Bovoni – $250 for materials and equipment for seeding, planting, pruning, air laying, grafting and more (Noel Potter, no phone given).
The Law and You Program – $400 for T-shirts, transportation, videos, lunches, certificates and more (Roy Chesterfield, 775-3714).
Lutheran Church of the Reformation Summer Program – $600 for instructor fees, transportation and site rental (Desha Powell, 775-6429).
Marine Kids Korps Inc. – $1,000 for emergency cellular telephones, adaptive swim equipment, first aid kit, scuba gear and stipends for three teen-age water safety aides (Michele Downes, 775-5179).
Marine Kids Korps Inc. – $500 for support group for traumatized youngsters (Michele Downes, 776-5179).
Methodist Training and Outreach Center Inc. – $250 for library resource materials (Louise Petersen, 714-7782).
Michael J. Kirwan Elementary School – $250 for sports supplies, hula hoops, pencils, paper, trinkets, water and more (Moressa Olive, 776-3530).
Mo Ambessa Centralizing Committee – $500 to purchase baking trays, yabba pots, paint, wood, netting and more for camp (Tafari Tzaddii, 719-7857).
Northside Civic Organization – $500 for after-school reading program (Ann Durante-Arnold, 998-1916).
One Swim Inc. – $400 to pay instructors', aides' and lifeguard's stipends (Sally George, 774-9976).
Pistarckle Theater – $600 to provide summer camp scholarships for five students (Nicola Emerich, 775-7877).
Project H.O.P.E. – $600 for computer software and reading and language arts materials (Merle E. Charles, 775-2173).
Rastafari Improvement Inc. – $500 for sports, arts and crafts supplies, cleaning agents and more (Jermaine Pemberton, 998-0255).
St. Andrews Episcopal Church – $750 for GED preparation booklets, technology-related programs and a math teacher's stipend (Ambrose Gumbs, 774-1223).
St. Andrews Seek and Serve Inc. – $500 for two sewing machines, pots and pans and basic carpentry tools (Erma Skelton, 774-1223).
St. Thomas Pee Wee Baseball League – $700 for baseball clinic/playing equipment, audiovisual materials, photo processing, T-shirts and more (Suzette Williams, 775-4636).
Summer Enrichment Program Inc. – $250 for T-shirts, art, sewing, planting and sports supplies, fields trips and more (Mariath Hodge, 693-3597).
Teenagers Bible Club – $650 for college and vocational preparation courses, science and math labs and SAT preparation books (Zeathea Armstrong, 774-0884).
University of the Virgin Islands/Family Life Center – $750 to purchase T-shirts and arts and crafts supplies for 35 students (Carmen Rogers-Green, 693-1122).
University of the Virgin Islands/Reichhold Center for the Arts – $750 for scholarships for students to participate in a workshop (David Edgecombe, 693-1550).
V.I. Association for Independent Living – $800 for videos, cassette recorders, wireless strobe and repair of Perkins Baillers (Felecia A. Brownlow, 777-4978).
V.I. Institute for Teaching and Learning – $600 for books and materials, a training workshop and supplies for math experiments (Karen Gutloff, 777-7030).
V.I. Institute of the Performing Arts – $800 for four summer scholarships (Ingrid Ayala-Thomas, 777-9110).
V.I. Resource Center for the Disabled – $300 for assessment materials, portfolio materials and honoraria (Ann Marie Kissel, 777-2253).
St. Croix
Alfredo Andrews Elementary School – $300 for art supplies (Vicky-Lyn Ashby, 778-1925).
Alfredo Andrews Elementary School – $300 for art supplies for primary level and three intermediate classes (Elena Herbert, 778-1925).
CASA of the V.I. – $500 for Web site costs, copying, binding and mailing of directories (Gail R. Shearer, 773-2626).
CASA of the V.I. – $250 for workbooks, backpacks and school supplies (Gail R. Shearer, 773-2626).
Central High School's Plato Chapter, National Honor Society – $750 to purchase bookshelves, large-print books, taped books and tape recorders (Anne Marie Gordon, 773-6892).
Charles H. Emmanuel School Video Crew – $980 to produce a video about V.I. women of distinction and first in their field, including travel to St. Thomas and St. John (Joan Keenan, 778-6060).
A Creative Summer Art Program Adventure – $500 to provide scholarships for four students (Danica David, 719-6000)
Eulalie R. Rivera
Elementary School – $800 for a digital camera and for travel to St. Thomas for a Coral World field trip (Rosetta Lawrence 692-2901).
The Garden School Inc. – $400 for transportation, shipping costs, packaging materials and communications (Carolyn Hawkins, 719-0773).
Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center Respiratory Therapy Camp – $1,000 to purchase peak flow meters, arts and crafts materials, books and more for its camp for asthmatic youths (Helen Shirley, 778-6311).
Lutheran Social Services, Frederiksted – $800 to purchase a shower bed for non-ambulatory residents (Juanita Lawson-Haith, 772-4099).
Mount Victory Camp – $500 for scholarships for children to attend camp (Mathilde Aurelien-Wilson, 772-1651).
Mu Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. – $500 to purchase decodable booklets for an afterschool reading program (Jewel Ross Brathwaite, 692-2121).
Music in Motion – $500 for costumes, supplies and marketing/advertising (Charlita Schuster, 772-5440).
St. Croix Junior Bowlers – $750 for travel expenses, equipment and coaching (Veronica Coates, no phone provided).
Students of Theater Arts and Repertoire (S.T.A.R.) – $500 for nutritional lunch program, scripts, films, scores, paint, costumes, building supplies and more (Jan Hart, 778-7243).
Westside and Co. – $500 for design and construction of model dragsters and racetrack (Bernard Jones, 773-0617).
Women's Coalition of St. Croix – $500 for supplies and materials (Mary Mingus, 773-9272).
St. John
Carabana Ensemble Theater Company – $250 to replace musical instruments and recorders (Clarence Cuthbertson, 693-9150).
Friends of the Elaine I. Sprauve Library – $500 for golf equipment, reading supplies, medals, transportation and more (Carol McGuinness, 776-6901).
John's Folly Learning Center – $250 for T-shirts, transportation, park tours, Reef Bay hike, lunch and more (Alvis Christian, 693-5202).
Julius E. Sprauve School Summer Enrichment Program – $994 to purchase textbooks, workbooks, binders and teacher manuals (Marla Powell, 776-6336).
Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program – $400 for T-shirts (Steven Payne, 693-8880).
St. John Rescue – $577 to purchase a moulage kit for simulation training (Bob Malacarne, 626-5118).
Water Island
Water Island Search and Rescue – $500 to purchase oxygen, a stretcher and medical supplies (Marion Wilkinson, 774-4592).
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