A group of community volunteers in Reading has chosen five initiatives that aim to inspire community engagement to fund through a grant program offered by Barrio Alegria and the Wyomissing Foundation.
Organizers of the program said the $5,000 grants are specifically geared to help groups and individuals who are often overlooked in institutional philanthropy but who have an idea for programs that can be catalysts for positive change in the city.
The recipients:
• Nemesis Fitness (with sponsorship from the Reading Skatepark Association) will receive $5,000 to bring the community together through a series of free, themed fun runs that make fitness accessible, enjoyable and inclusive for everyone. The series of fun runs and weekly runs aims to break down barriers to exercise by providing a free way to improve physical and mental health while creating a sense of belonging and unity among attendees.
• Block 2 Bank Fishing will get $5,000 to empower urban youth and families through fishing and environmental stewardship. The mission is to provide safe, positive opportunities that foster a love for nature, community engagement and personal growth.
• StrongPulse will receive $5,000 to provide CPR training and certification to the community to help prevent more fatalities from strokes and heart attacks in Reading.
• TCA Don’t Quit Foundation will get $5,000 to promote self-expression through creativity, helping individuals of all backgrounds discover the healing power of art. The team has experience organizing events, workshops and community outreach initiatives focused on fostering connection, creativity and mental health advocacy.
• Then 2 Now Foundation will receive $5,000 to strengthen community ties by empowering and supporting girls through a summer basketball league, where they will get mentorship from professional female athletes in collaboration with a local college.
The grants were awarded through an evaluation process that included a panel of community volunteers from Barrio Alegria who made recommendations to the Wyomissing Foundation Board of Directors.
The funding, known as FARO grants, are available to nonprofits with annual budgets of less than $250,000. In Spanish, “faro” means lighthouse — a nod to the mission of empowering efforts that aim to spread light in the community and act as a guide for those who want to better their communities.
“Our neighbors are not merely bystanders in the improvement of their city; they are drivers of that change,” said Paola Disla, lead fellow of Barrio Alegria’s community development pillar. “Our committee of neighbors and active community members know best what they need and what they want to see in their city.”
This is the fourth year Barrio Alegria and the Wyomissing Foundation have partnered to identify and fund initiatives. Previous grants went to fund a team to play on an international stage through Latin Fusion Baseball, help organize trips for young women to visit historically Black colleges and universities through the Sisterhood of Reading and establish poetry workshops in Reading through Berks Bards.
Valeri Harteg, community impact and operations coordinator for the Wyomissing Foundation, expressed gratitude for those involved in the process.
“The Wyomissing Foundation is committed to engaging community members with lived experience of issues and life in Reading in the grantmaking process, and we are deeply grateful to Barrio Alegria for partnering with us to make this happen for a fourth consecutive year,” Harteg said.
Source: Berkshire mont
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