Grants Awarded
2008
4th Quarter 2008 Grants Awarded (01/02/09)
At the Quarterly Venturi Awards Breakfast on January 2, 2009, the Venturi Brighter Employee Fund awarded two large grants. These awards marked the end of the first complete year of giving by the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund with 12 gifts given, totaling over $46,000.00. This quarter's recipients were Junior Achievement of Northern Alabama (JANA), and Health Establishments at Local Schools (HEALS).
Receiving a grant for $2500.00, Junior Achievement of North Alabama (JANA) will be putting it towards purchasing additional teaching packs for use in local schools. Volunteer professionals use these packs to help bring the outside world into the classroom thus demonstrating the impact that education will have on the students' lives and future careers. Accepting the gift was Leah Amos, Executive Director for JANA, Inc.
Health Establishments at Local Schools (HEALS) received a grant for $5000.00. HEALS provides free medical and dental care to children within local schools throughout our community. They plan on using the grant within two of their programs, Indigent Medical Fund and Heels for HEALS Program. The Indigent Medical Fund provides funds to pay for prescription medicine for children who do not have medical insurance. The Heels for HEALS Program encourages parents to bring their child in for an EPSDT (well-child checkup) by giving the child a pair of new shoes upon completing the EPSDT. Both of these programs go far in improving the health and wellness of our community's children. Accepting the check was Tracey Wright, Executive Director for HEALS, Inc.
Above Left: Above: Chris Simpson presents JANA Executive Director, Leah Amos, with a check from the Employees of Venturi.
Above Right: Above: Tracey Wright, Executive Director for HEALS, Inc., receives a check from the Employees of Venturi.
3rd Quarter 2008 Grants Awarded (10/03/08)
At the Quarterly Venturi Awards Breakfast on October 3, 2008, the Venturi Brighter Employee Fund awarded three large grants. The recipients were The Way, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), and Care Assurance System of the Aging and Homebound (CASA) of Madison County.
The Way serves our local community by providing a drug and alcohol recovery facility for men. Their goal is for these men to become productive husbands, fathers and employees by offering the support necessary to recover from substance abuse and addiction. The Way will use their gift to help offset operational costs of their program.
UCP of Huntsville & Tennessee Valley provides physical, occupational and speech therapy, as well as educational and social services to 600 children and adults within our local community. Not limited to cerebral palsy, UCP offers their services to families dealing with numerous other disabilities. The gift that they received will be used to help pay for their new building that they will use to provide a state-of-the-art training and technology center for those with special needs.
Above Left: Don Gutknecht presents representatives from The Way, Marko Orrill and Clyde Jones, with a gift from the Employees of Venturi.
Above Right: Don Gutknecht presents representatives from UCP, Suzanne Price and Tracie Cieniewicz, with a gift from the Employees of Venturi.
Our final gift winner, CASA, provides volunteer services to assist the unmet needs of the aging and homebound. Through numerous programs, CASA allows the aging and homebound individuals of Madison County to continue living in their homes. They will use their gift to purchase a tiller that will aid in the planting and growing of fresh produce that they deliver to numerous individuals in our community.
Left: Don Gutknecht presents Ann Anderson, Executive Director for CASA, with a gift from the Employees of Venturi.
2nd Quarter 2008 Grants Awarded (08/01/08)
At the Quarterly Venturi Awards Breakfast on August 1, the Venturi Brighter Employee Fund awarded their fourth and fifth large grants. The recipients were Jehovah Jirah, Inc. a.k.a. 305 8th St. and The Riley Behavioral and Educational Center a.k.a. The Riley Center. Both organizations provide great services to the local areas where Venturi employees live by providing a home for adults with mental disabilities (305 8th St.) and diagnosis and treatment for children with autism (The Riley Center).
The first check was presented to Andrea Williams, Executive Director and Leka Medenbach, Board President for 305 8th Street. The money will provide the residents of 305 8th St. a vacation while their home is renovated during the "From the Ground Up" campaign that will take place from August 16 to August 24, 2008. Venturi employees hope to do their part during the renovations by bringing their hammers and sweat. Additional Information
The second check was presented to Melody Crane, Executive Director for The Riley Center. The gift will allow The Riley Center to purchase some much needed equipment that will allow them to better diagnose and treat children with autism.
Above Left: Chris Simpson presents Andrea Williams and Leka Medenbach, both of 305 8th St, with a gift from the Employees of Venturi.
Above Right: Doug Sibley and Jack Thomas present Melody Crane, Executive Director for the Riley Center, with a gift from the Employees of Venturi.
1st Grants Awarded (04/11/08)
During the Venturi, Inc. Quarterly Breakfast on Apr 11, 2008, the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund awarded its first large grants to three great charities.
The first to receive a gift was Harris Home for Children. This organization provides foster care, therapeutic, and educational services to help the neglected and dependent adolescent males and females of Alabama achieve their maximum potential. Teenagers live in multiple cottage-like homes learning life and social skills in an environment that allows them to develop into successful adults. Outside of the teenagers who live on the Harris Home campus, the organization offers an After School Program to elementary and middle school-aged children to offer them some of the same life changing opportunities. Marshia Hewitt and Tammie Hammons of Harris Home attended the breakfast and received the gift of $5000.00. They will use the money to help purchase a passenger van that will be used to transport the cottage residents to various appointments and for residential needs.
The Greengate School was the second organization to receive a large grant. Greengate School's mission is to educate and support children with specific learning differences in reading, spelling, or writing so that they may realize their full potential. Marcia Ramsey attended the morning event and received the gift of $5000.00. The gift will be used to defer costs for the Orton-Gillingham training program. This program, offered by Greengate School to educators and parents from all over Alabama plus some surrounding states, provides training on how to teach children with dyslexia.
The last organization to receive a Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund gift was The Schools Foundation. This organization strives to create higher expectations and widespread community support for Madison County Schools by providing multiple professional development programs for educators to improve schools, and other services that they hope will better education within area schools. They will use our gift of $5000.00 to enhance their annual Great Teacher Conference that over 900 educators from Madison and surrounding counties attended in 2006. This conference invites nationally-known speakers and subject matter experts to provide information to area teachers to help them excel in the classroom.