Our first recipient for this quarter, SNAP of Hartselle, is an organization that provides a playground for special needs children. It is a multi-area facility that contains a splash pad, swing area and picnic pavilions that are all designed for the use of children with specific needs. They will use their $2500.00 grant towards installing more equipment in the Phase III portion of the facility.

Above: Andrea Hatfield presents SNAP of Hartselle with a check from Venturi Employees

Second, is Huntsville Community Chorus. They are a unique performing arts organization with a mission to provide the Huntsville and North Alabama area with quality experience in all genres of music. They will be using their $2500.00 grant for scholarships for the Children’s Chorus.

Above: James Partridge and Charles Roberts present Huntsville Community Chorus with a check from Venturi Employees

The third recipient for this quarter is HEALS of Huntsville. HEALS provides free on site school-based medical and dental care, mental health counseling and social services to eligible economically disadvantaged children.  They will be using their $2500.00 grant to help fulfill the constant demand for services as well as provide specialist care and access to specialized medical equipment at hospitals.

Above: Bobby Williams presents HEALS with a check from the Venturi Employees

The final recipient for 2010 is Our Place, Inc. Our Place is a consumer-run drop-in center for adults with mental illness. They provide a non-clinical facility for members to participate in peer support, socialization and recreational activities. They will be using their $5,000.00 grant to construct a second restroom for the facility and facility operations.

Above: Wade Burrow presents Our Place with a check from the Venturi Employees

Our first recipient for this quarter, 305 8th Street, is an organization that provides a home for special needs adults that do not qualify for state funded programs. They have recently renovated a garage for multi-purpose use for some of their activities. They will use their $4500.00 grant towards installing HVAC in this area and purchasing new chairs.

Above: Ralph DeSanctis presents 305 8th Street with a check from Venturi Employees.

Second is Girls Inc. of Huntsville.  Girls Inc.  is an organization that works with growing young ladies to help show them how to make informed choices in their lives and to develop a  sense of self-worth by setting goals and learning new skills. They will be using their $3450.00 grant to supply two new laptops and a smartboard for use in the classroom.

Above: Ralph DeSanctis presents Girls Inc. of Huntsville with a check from the Venturi Employees.

The final recipient for this quarter is the UCP chapter of Huntsville. UCP helps families with children that have one of the many different forms of Cerebral Palsey. They will be using their $3450.00 grant check to begin Phase II of their recently constructed playground facility.

Above: Tommy Newman presents UCP with a check from the Venturi Employees.

Second Quarter 2010

by James Partridge on 10, July 2010

During this Venturi, Inc. Quarterly Breakfast, the Venturi Brighter Day Employee fund awarded three large grants. The recipients for this quarter were Miracle League, AMBUCS and The Huntsville Hospital Foundation

Our first recipient for this quarter, Miracle League, is an organization that provides an opportunity for special needs individuals of all ages to be able to enjoy playing baseball. Constructed of a special rubber compound with all markings built into the surface, the field is flat and free of obstructions for all players. Miracle League will use their $3,500.00 grant towards much needed field repairs due to a ruptured water main.

Above: Nick Radovich presents Miracle League with a check from Venturi Employees

Second, is AMBUCS of Huntsville. AMBUCS is an organization that provides mobility devices for individuals who would otherwise be confined to a wheel chair. They will be using their $5,000.00 grant to supply AMTRYKs for deserving candidates.

Above: Courtney Farley presents AMBUCS of Huntsville with a check from the Venturi Employees.

The final recipient for this quarter is the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. The foundation helps families deal with the traumas of having pre-mature born babies. They will be using their $5,000.00 grant check to purchase developmental positioning packs for infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Above: Courtney Farley, Marianna Oakley and Derek Johns present Huntsville Hospital Foundation with a check from the Venturi Employees

The first to receive a gift was Crisis Services of North Alabama. Responding to families and individuals in crisis, Crisis Services has multiple programs that provide assistance to those in need as a result of adult and child domestic violence, rape, suicide, and homelessness. With the $5,000.00 gift that was given by the employees of Venturi, Crisis Services plans on using it to upgrade all the computers in their facility.

Above: Derek Johns and Timothy Burns presents Crisis Services of North Alabama with a check from the Venturi Employees.

The Greengate School was the second organization to receive a large grant and the first repeat recipient for a Brighter Day grant. The 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. The gift of $4,000 will be used to purchase a weather station and SmartBoards to improve its math, science and technology curricula.

Above: Derek Johns presents Greengate School with a check from the Venturi Employees.

Our first grant winner, SNAP, was organized for the sole purpose of constructing a special needs playground in Morgan County. The playground will provide access to the 1,700 special needs children in the county. The playground, importantly, can also be used by all other children thus promoting interaction and mutual acceptance. SNAP will use their $5,000 grant towards the funding needed to complete Phase 2 of the playground.

Above: Derek Johns presents SNAP of Huntsville with a check from the Venturi Employees.

Our second grant winner, Harris Home for Children, is an organization that 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. The $4,000 grant will be used towards their capital campaign to expand their infrastructure of Harris Home.

Above: Derek Johns presents the Harris Home for Children with a check from the Venturi Employees.

The third grant winner, Blue Star Mothers of Morgan County, is an organization developed to support active duty service personal in all services through care packages, promoting patriotism within their communities, and assist Veterans organization. This newly formed organization will use their $5,000 grant to advertise for fundraisers and send out care-packages to deployed service members.

Above: Derek Johns presents Blue Star Mothers of Morgan County with a check from the Venturi Employees.

Third Quarter 2009

by Brighter Day Admin on 16, October 2009

During the Venturi, Inc. Quarterly Breakfast, the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund awarded three large grants. This quarter’s recipients were Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound (CASA), Huntsville Library Foundation, and The Way.

Our first grant 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. Safety is a critical factor when aging in place, so CASA will use their $2000 gift to build and maintain wheelchair ramps, install grab bars and hand rails, and to purchase durable medical equipment to help prevent falls.

Above: Sinuhe Agrinzoni presents CASA Executive Director Ann Anderson with a check from the Employees of Venturi.

Our second grant winner, the Huntsville Library Foundation, is an advocate for the Library. They raise awareness and funds to purchase books and other resources that the Library uses to inspire readers and improve the community’s quality of life. Their $3000 gift will be used to expand their Jr. Readers after school program. The program targets children who have just begun to read: those in Kindergarten-2^nd Grade. The libraries in the Jr. Readers program represent a mix of rural and urban communities and schools, all of which struggle with low literacy levels. By providing literacy rich programs and high quality, reading level appropriate books, it is the hope that the program will encourage beginning readers and increase reading levels.

Above: Courtney Farley presents Lexie Robinson of the Huntsville Library Foundation with a check from the Employees of Venturi.

The final grant was awarded to The Way which serves our local community by providing a drug and alcohol recovery facility for men. Their goal is to end the pattern of drug and alcohol abuse so that the men can become productive husbands, fathers and employees. As part of the program, the residents are kept under strict supervision and are provided transportation to and from work. To help with the transportation, The Way will use part of the $5000 gift to acquire a reliable used car. In addition, the gift will be used to purchase computer equipment to allow the residents to develop basic computer skills, such as using email, writing resumes and performing job searches on-line.

Above: Chris Simpson (third from left) presents The Way with a check on behalf of the Employees of Venturi.

First Quarter 2009

by Brighter Day Admin on 17, April 2009

During a Venturi, Inc. Quarterly Breakfast on Apr 17, 2009, the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund awarded three large grants marking the Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund’s two year anniversary.

The first to receive a gift was Crisis Services of North Alabama. Responding to families and individuals in crisis, Crisis Services has multiple programs that provide assistance to those in need as a result of adult and child domestic violence, rape, suicide, and homelessness. With the $5000.00 gift that was given by the employees of Venturi, Crisis Services plans on using it to improve the fence that provides both physical security and peace of mind for their victims of domestic violence shelter. Accepting the gift was Janet S. Gabel, Executive Director for Crisis Services.

The Greengate School was the second organization to receive a large grant and the first repeat recipient for a Brighter Day grant. The 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. Eula Battle, a volunteer at the Greengate School attended the morning event and received the gift of $5000.00. The gift will be used to purchase laptops that will give them a portable computer lab that can be used in the instruction of students and educators looking to improve their capability to teach children with learning differences.

The final organization to receive a Venturi Brighter Day Employee Fund gift was First Stop, Inc. This organization assists street homeless in becoming self-sufficient, productive members of society who no longer have a home. They provide food, case management, showers, laundry machines, and a day shelter where homeless can get a semblance of normalcy. They will use our gift to offset their costs and to possibly hire more caseworkers so that they can meet the growing homeless population.

Fourth Quarter 2008

by Brighter Day Admin on 02, January 2009

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.