Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
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WAYNE >> The Saturday Club, one of the oldest women’s non-profit organizations in both Pennsylvania and nationwide, presented its annual philanthropy grants on Tuesday, April 4, to Community Center at Visitation, Greener Partners, Milagro House (Lancaster), Paws and Affection, and The Parkesburg Point Youth Center. The funds, which were raised via campaigns and projects throughout 2016 and 2017, will be used to establish and enhance programs while providing key assistance to the organizations, which support women, children, and families in the Greater Philadelphia region.
“We are thrilled to announce our 2017 grant recipients, which are five fabulous local organizations that support women and children right here in our local community,” said Liz Lee, vice president of Community Relations of The Saturday Club. “Our grant program represents the culmination of the hard fundraising work our members do all year, and we are proud we are able to expand our grant-giving in 2017 to additional organizations as a result of these efforts.”
Community Center at Visitation is committed to providing a “Safe Place” for community outreach, continued education and recreation among the diverse communities of Kensington, Philadelphia, and its surrounding neighborhoods. The Saturday Club grant will support two teenage girls in the Center’s Girls Leadership program, which evolved due to the lack of programs for teen girls to help build their self-esteem and provide critical decision-making skills for the future. More information on the Community Center at Visitation can be found at www.communitycenteratvis.org.
For nearly a decade, Norristown, Pa.-based Greener Partners’ mission has been creating healthy communities through food, farms and education. The Saturday Club grant will help support the expansion of Greener Partners’ Norristown Healthy Food Project (NHFP), a unique schoolbased food distribution and education program designed to strengthen the health and well-being of Norristown’s children and families by improving access to and consumption of fresh local food. Funding will help the organization expand the program in 2017 to a third school in Norristown and serve an additional 50 families in weekly food distribution activities. Funding will also support food and nutrition for 150 families, and will help provide gardening technical assistance to two Norristown non-profits, which are partnered with Greener Partners to formalize and expand community gardens. More information on Greener Partners can be found at www.greenerpartners.org.
Based in Lancaster, Pa., Milagro House provides education, housing and counseling for women and their children experiencing homelessness. It is the only program in the community that offers homeless mothers the opportunity to further their education. The Saturday Club grant will help support the organization’s educational services, which are designed to break the multi-generational cycles of poverty and dependency and help get homeless mothers back on their feet and able to support their families. More information on Milagro House can be found at https://www.milagrohouse.org.
Paws and Affection was founded in 2013 with the goal of improving the lives of children with disabilities and their families in the Greater Philadelphia region. The organization’s primary goal is to train service, companion and facility dogs and place them with children ages 9-20 who have disabilities to help increase the child’s independence. The Saturday Club grant will help expand the organization’s program by empowering even more children with amazing service dogs. Specifically, funds will directly support a young service dog in-training during his/her critical socialization and training window. More information on Paws and Affection can be found at www.pawsandaffection.org.
The Parkesburg Point Youth Center (THE POINT) is a grassroots, collaborative effort of churches, community leaders, businesses, police, school districts and the judicial system addressing the needs of western Chester County’s most at-risk and vulnerable youths. The Saturday Club grant will help the organization continue reaching and serving young people from western Chester County’s most blighted areas. It also help the organization have its outdoor skate park ready for summer programs, and increase summer camping opportunities. More information on THE POINT can be found at http://parkesburgpoint.com.
The Saturday Club presents grants annually in April, with applications due in January. Non-profit organizations that wish to apply for a grant should visit http://saturdayclub.org/community-philanthropy/grant-applications/. In addition to its philanthropy work and grant program, The Saturday Club hosts events for the local community at the group’s historic clubhouse in downtown Wayne. Additional details about The Saturday Club, including information on upcoming events and membership, may be found at www.saturdayclub.org.
Established in 1886, the Saturday Club is among the oldest women’s clubs nationwide. A non-profit organization, The Saturday Club is dedicated to providing philanthropic support to women’s and children’s charitable organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region with both financial contributions and volunteer service hours. The group celebrated its 131st anniversary in March 2017.