Foundation Awards $92K In Community Needs Grants

SALISBURY –  A total of $92,287 will be distributed by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore to 21 nonprofits serving Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset counties.

Area nonprofits identify pressing needs in the community and design a variety of programs to meet them. Grants were awarded to support youth development, the arts, education, mental and physical health, veterans, seniors, and more.

“Our Community Needs Grant Program allows us to create a meaningful impact to area nonprofits and those they serve. We have the flexibility to support the changing needs of our area, while championing the innovative work of local nonprofits,” said Erica Joseph, CFES president.

The following nonprofits received program funding:

Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Maryland: To train Primary Care Physicians in the early detection of Alzheimer’s and other dementias and to provide early intervention resources and support for families and caregivers.

Art League of Ocean City, Inc.: To bring youth art programs into the local community and schools in Worcester County.

Atlantic General Hospital Foundation: To pilot a chronic pain treatment program that uses alternative therapies to replace or decrease the use of opioids.

Coastal Hospice, Inc.: To establish a grief support program in local middle and high schools to provide a structured, safe environment where students struggling with loss can receive grief counseling.

Deal Island Chance Vol. Fire Co.: To build a museum for historic fire department memorabilia to be preserved and made available to the public.

Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre, Inc.: For two full length classical ballet productions on the Eastern Shore, including the Nutcracker and a TBA Spring production.

Horizons Salisbury: To support classroom assistants and reduce the instructor to student ratio for the 2019 Horizons Summer Youth Enrichment program.

Julia A. Purnell Museum: For the Heritage Arts Education program, which teaches agriculture, maritime history, Native American culture, the African American experience, early machines, historic medical practices and more through art.

LifeMark, Inc.: To create a therapeutic support group for adult individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Lower Shore Clinic / Go-Getters: To provide household necessities for community members with severe mental illness transitioning into supportive housing.

Lower Shore Support Services Inc.: To create the Heart of the Shore website which will connect hundreds of local nonprofits to the communities they serve.

Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Inc.: To provide free elder and family law, economic stability, vulnerable populations assistance and restorative justice services from the new Salisbury office.

New Dimensions Family Ministries, LLC: To provide tuition assistance to children of low-income families for the Positive Aspirations Learning Academy afterschool program.

Salisbury Zoological Park: To purchase an array of fun, creative, behavioral enrichment toys and installations for zoo animals.

SHORE UP Inc.: To install an electronic visitor log system for a faster, more secure visitor experience.

Stories Love Music: For workshops that will provide Alzheimer’s caregivers with tools and techniques to reduce their own stress and coach them to work with their patients using music and stories.

Strong City Baltimore: To bring the Bedtime in a Box program to children and families in Somerset County. The program encourages healthy habits and parent engagement by providing low-income families with age appropriate books, pajamas, bath toys, toothbrushes, stuffed animals, reading logs, and more.

Town of Pittsville: To purchase a mobile radio system for the new Pittsville police department.

U.S. Kennels, Inc.: To support ongoing care, grooming, vaccinations and vet visits for service dogs paired with local veterans through U.S. Kennels.

University of Maryland Eastern Shore: To fund traveling fall prevention clinics for seniors to be delivered at local senior agencies in the tri-county area.