Akron – (Nov. 21, 2014) – The Distribution Committee of GAR Foundation awarded $1,118,400  to 22 community organizations at its November 13, 2014 meeting, with Summit Education Initiative receiving the largest grant of $185,000 to support the advancement of the Cradle to Career Alliance in Summit County.

 

“Summit Education Initiative continues to be a leader in bringing a thoughtful, pragmatic, and effective model to the very complex subject area of education,” said Kirstin Toth, senior vice president of GAR Foundation.  The Cradle to Career Alliance engages education stakeholders from across all sectors of the community to align resources and efforts which improve student outcomes along the education pipeline; from early childhood to college and career ready. 

 

“Student outcomes in our community are already improving as a result of SEI’s alignment of community partners around the Cradle to Career network; these efforts are core to GAR’s value in education,” said Toth. 

 

The Summit County Arts & Culture Initiative received a grant of $150,000 to develop an online communications clearinghouse that will collect, in one place, the vast breadth of arts and cultural activity happening in Summit County. This initiative comes as a response to a study commissioned by GAR and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation assessing the arts and culture landscape in Summit County.  The research revealed a strong need for a coordinated communications effort in the arts and culture sector. 

 

“We marveled at the diversity and energy surrounding the Arts & Culture Initiative,” said Christine Amer Mayer, president of GAR Foundation. “We will continue to work collectively to enhance the arts assets that make Akron a distinctive place. It’s an exciting time to be an arts lover in Akron, and we invite the community to add its voice to the chorus as these efforts continue to take shape,” said Mayer.

 

In the area of basic needs and independence, the Foundation granted The Haven of Rest Ministries, Inc. $25,000 to provide comprehensive programs for homeless men, women, and children. 

 

The Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Summit County received a $16,000 grant in the area of civic enhancement to increase grassroots leadership engagement through its community-based leadership development program.

 

The following organizations also received grant awards at the November 13, 2014 GAR Foundation Distribution Committee meeting: 

 

• ACCESS, Inc. , $70,000, for operations
• Akron Area YMCA, $16,000, as fiscal sponsor of the Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Summit County
• Akron Community Service Center & Urban League, Inc. , $50,000, for operations and the Partnership for Minority Business Accelerator 
• Akron Civic Theater, $70,000, for operations
• Akron Civic Theater, $150,000, as fiscal sponsor for the Summit County Arts & Culture Initiative 
• Ballet Excel Ohio, $25,000*, for the Reach Out and Dance program in Akron Public Schools
• Battered Women’s Shelter , $50,000, for operations of the Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center
• Cascade Locks Park Association, $7,500, for operations
• Foundation Center – Cleveland, $10,000, for operations in Summit County
• Friends of Metro Parks, $5,000, for operations
• Great Lakes Theater, $30,000, for educational programming in Summit County
• Haven of Rest Ministries, Inc., $25,000, for operations
• Invent Now, Inc., $77,000, for Camp Invention in Akron Public Schools
• International Soap Box Derby, $50,000, for the Gravity Racing STEM curriculum
• Leadership Akron, $30,000, for operations
• Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET), $25,000, for work-based learning in Akron Public Schools 
• Mature Services, Inc., $50,000, for homecare services
• Proyecto Raices, $7,900, for program support 
• Rebuilding Together Summit County, $65,000, for operations in Summit County
• Summit Choral Society, $70,000*, for operations 
• Summit Education Initiative, $185,000, for backbone / operational support
• Truly Reaching You, Inc., $50,000, for operations