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Southeast Missourian

$8,650 to be Invested in Community through GRACES

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User-submitted story by Elizabeth Shelton
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
GRACES members and grant recipients celebrate the first GRACES Grants awards.

The Women’s Leadership Council of United Way of Southeast Missouri, called GRACES, recently awarded a total of $8,650 through GRACES Grants to regional organizations.

GRACES, which is an acronym for Giving Responsibly, Advocating for the Community, Excelling in Service, is one of more than 150 Women’s Leadership Councils in the United Way global network. GRACES members have previously invested in the community by helping to create and support various programs, such as Read to Succeed, Backpacks for Friday with SEMO Food Bank, Messy Morning, and programs at area elementary schools. The grant funding is in addition to these investments and marks the first time the organization has invested membership dues back into the community through a grant process. Organizations receiving funding ranging from $400-1,000 include:

•4-H Clubs of Perry and Scott counties to help youth attend summer camp
•ABCToday program sponsored by Big Brothers/Big Sisters to continue promoting positive Academics, Behavior, and Course work
•Beacon Health Center for child abuse prevention training
•Catholic Social Ministries to supplement their food pantry with fresh produce
•Community Caring Council to assist youth with emergency dental treatment
•Franklin Elementary School to further their Positive Behavior and Intervention Support through playground incentives/rewards
•Lutheran Family & Children’s Services to provide play activities for children and parents during supervised visits
•Old Town Cape to help provide and promote the opportunity to use Electronic Benefits Transfer funds to purchase fresh produce at the Riverfront Market
•Soulful Harvest Ministry to support a mentoring program for low-income, at-risk girls
•Building Blocks/Nurse Family Partnership to educate new mothers about closely spaced pregnancies
•St. James AME Church to help KidzKlub provide safe, healthy weekend activities for youth
•University of MO Extension Eating from the Garden to purchase gardening supplies for a youth garden.

Executive Director of United Way, Elizabeth Shelton, explains, “The GRACES members were thrilled to be able to learn about and review so many worthwhile organizations. Our only regret is that we could not fund each of the 22 requests we received, because they all were very promising. However, this is something we hope to continue, so I encourage any interested organizations to join or follow GracesofSEMO on Facebook to stay informed about future opportunities.”

GRACES is open to any woman wishing to join a philanthropic network of like-minded women. For more information, visit www.unitedwayofsemo.org/GRACES, follow GRACES on Facebook or contact Elizabeth Shelton: elizabeth.shelton@unitedwayofsemo.org or 573-334-9634.

About United Way of Southeast Missouri:

United Way of Southeast Missouri is able to connect community members with resources thanks to the support of donors and volunteers combined with corporate gifts and sponsorships. The major sponsors for the 2015 campaign are SoutheastHEALTH and Montgomery Bank with additional support from The Bank of Missouri and Drury Southwest.

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