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.
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-2nd 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.
Chris Simpson (third from left) presents The Way with a check on behalf of the Employees of Venturi.