Oakdale Neighbors, Grand Rapids, MI

This grant was provided for the Mars-Bros Mentoring Program.  Mars-Bros equips mentors with resources to invest deeply in the lives of adolescent males through academic, social and spiritual development so that they develop a mindset to serve God and their community to the fullest potential.  Mentors commit to spend six hours per month providing their mentee with a positive experience.  Additional programs that they offer have allowed the mentoring program to impact another 40+ youth.

www.marsbros.org  

Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, Grand Rapids, MI

This grant provided annual support for two programs operated by this organization, the recently opened Cook Library Center and the after school music, art, clay, dance and theatre classes that are provided at the Arts Academy. Serving a predominantly low-income Hispanic inner city neighborhood, the Academy’s goal is to expose neighborhood children to art forms they otherwise would not know, to encourage them in their scholastic endeavors, to teach them respect for themselves and others, and to help them discover talents that might otherwise have remained buried.

http://gaah.org/

Habitat for Humanity – School of Construction Program

This is a public/private initiative that uses the construction of a Habitat home as a learning laboratory for 10th-12th grade students in the Grand Rapids Public Schools - Schools of Construction Program.  The grant given was for general operating support of this program that focuses on core high school curriculum and the development of career skills that will lead to entry-level employment in the construction industry or a college path in construction at the Grand Rapids Community College MTech program. For these students building a Habitat home helps keep them engaged in school and closes the achievement gap through skill building, team building, and a curriculum based on the practical aspects of construction.  This past school year they had 30 young builders work on a house based on curriculum that included aspects of green construction.  They learned to build with recycled materials and energy efficient products.  Volunteers from Habitat serve as mentors to the students, teaching them confidence and construction. 

http://www.habitatkent.org/