2011 Program Awards

Early Edge Academy

Early Edge Academy, a program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton & Franklin Counties, will provide drop-in day care for teen parents attending classes in the Richland School District. The facility will be located approximately 100 feet from Rivers Edge High School. Recent data suggest that only 9% of teen mothers enrolled in Rivers Edge High School graduate, as compared to an approximate 91% teen parent graduation rate at Pasco's New Horizons, where on-site day care is provided. At Early Edge Academy, the Boys & Girls Club will provide childcare staffing and parent mentoring, Rivers Edge High School will provide teen parent classes and high school credits/classes, and Southside Church will provide the newly built facility.

Grace Clinic Fund for Dental Hygiene, Therapy for Grace Clinic Patients

The Grace Clinic Fund for Dental Hygiene, a program of the Columbia Basin College (CBC) Dental Hygiene Program, allows for the provision of simple to complex dental and periodontal services to uninsured, adult, Grace Clinic patients living at or below the federal poverty level. Currently there is no other full service, no-cost dental care available to this population in the Tri-Cities area. Through this program, CBC Dental Hygiene students have the opportunity to work with challenging and difficult patients that are essential teaching cases for their clinical training, while patients receive excellent care and the benefit of a dental exam and evaluation of their dental health, as well as recommendations for care, from a dentist in the CBC Dental Hygiene Clinic.

"Money Matters" - Financial Literacy

Through Money Matters, a financial literacy program, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho will provide at-risk, disadvantaged, Hispanic females from 8 to fifteen years of age with the opportunity to understand the power of finances, explore nontraditional careers, and learn various systems of personal economic management. The program will utilize a hands-on curriculum designed to support differential learning styles and higher-order thinking skills. The program will address cultural/gender perceptions, societal expectations, local resources, and the development of financial confidence with the ultimate goal of preparing the girls for a bright financial future. All girls in the program will participate in a bank tour as part of their financial education experience.

Women Build 2012

The purpose of Women Build 2012, a program of Habitat for Humanity Tri-Cities, is two-fold. First, the program will provide a home with a 20 year interest-free mortgage to a single mother in need with the aim of breaking the cycle of poverty for the homeowner and her children by removing the cost of unaffordable housing. The second goal is to encourage the involvement of women in the construction process empowering them to become role models and mentors for the next generation of female homeowners. Women Build also seeks to develop a sense of community, as many homes are built in the same neighborhoods. New home owners contribute 200 hours to the construction of their own homes. 300 additional work hours are required which may be spent building a home for another woman in need, thus fostering a sense of community spirit and connectedness.

"Pass the Torch"

Ignite Youth Mentoring is a local, non-profit, faith-based organization that pairs kids ages 8 to sixteen with trained, same-gender mentors from the community. It is the only agency providing committed one-to-one, adult-to-youth mentoring services in the Tri-Cities. The goal of the organization is to strengthen youth by pairing them with an adult who will add to their support system, who will listen, and will offer encouragement through the numerous challenges of adolescence, thereby fostering higher school performance, stronger communication skills, and resistance to involvement with drugs. The greatest challenge facing this organization is filling the demand for quality mentors willing to give of their time. The Pass the Torch program will allow for the development of marketing materials to assist in the recruitment of new mentors.

BodyWorks

In the United States today approximately one-third of all children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Children who are overweight face short term health risks as well as the potential for the development of associated chronic diseases in the future. The BodyWorks Program, an obesity prevention program developed by the Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to provide families with the necessary tools to develop a healthy lifestyle. It promotes habits useful in the maintenance of a healthy weight including healthy food choices and regular physical activity, and employs a family-based approach targeting the parents and caregivers of children and teens. The Lourdes Health Network will work with local physicians to identify families in need who may benefit from the program.

Diaper Distribution Network (DDN)

Diapers are a costly and basic need of families with babies and toddlers. Daycare facilities often require parents to supply disposable diapers. If a parent is unable to do so, they may be forced to miss work, thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty. The Tri-Cities Diaper Bank, a new program of Adventist Community Services, works to ensure that families living in poverty have an adequate supply of diapers for their infants and toddlers. Through the Diaper Distribution Network, the Diaper Bank purchases diapers which are then distributed to partner agencies that pre-screen clients for need. This grass root effort has seen significant growth over the past several months with need far exceeding supply.

First Generation Scholarships

The First Generation Scholarships program of the Washington State University, Tri-Cities, will provide funding to low-income, first-generation female students for academic scholarships and any expenses that support their academic-related activities including tuition, child care, internships, and transportation. The program is designed to assist at-risk students in overcoming the unique cultural and financial obstacles facing first-generation students so they can successfully remain in college and earn their degrees.

Program Awards - prior grant recipients:

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

WHWF-TC makes a difference in the lives of women and children in our community!