Salina Area United Way has awarded $50,000 in Make A Difference Grants to eight community partners for 2023. Grant recipients are organizations who are strengthening our community through health, education, and financial stability.
“We are so excited to fund these eight amazing nonprofit agencies in our community,” says Claire Ludes, Executive Director of Salina Area United Way. “These organizations are working tirelessly to address needs in our communities. We are proud to keep working towards our mission of strengthening our community and to Live United.”
To ensure that donor dollars are invested where they will have the greatest community impact, grants are awarded on how well programs fit within community and organization goals. The community goals of Salina Area United Way are:
- Health: to increase the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior
- Education: to raise the graduation rate
- Financial Stability: to increase the number of families who are financially stable
Thanks to the generosity of our community, funding will be awarded to ten agencies:
- Central Kansas Mental Health Center, $4,300 to offer adult and youth Mental Health First Aid classes to community members in Salina, Ellsworth, Lincoln, and Ottawa counties.
- Friends of the River Foundation, $5,000 to support the Friends of the River Foundation Education Outreach and their educational opportunities offered throughout the year.
- Kansas Wesleyan University, $3,000 to assist with the costs of the 3rd Annual Women in Leadership Speaker Series, a community-wide event, celebrating women in leadership roles throughout the city of Salina.
- Prairieland Market, $4,100 for a six-month program where Community Support Agriculture (CSA) boxes will be provided to people in need as identified and distributed through the Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank.
- Salina Family Healthcare Center, $5,000 to support the Community Outreach department with providing health education for youth and Heartsaver CPR/AED/First Aid classes to community members in vulnerable populations at no cost.
- Salina Grace, $8,600 for the hiring of an Entry Coordinator to be the first touch point for all guests, to conduct an initial Assessment of Needs, and to enter client information in the database.
- Salina Shares, $10,000 to assist with the costs of “Snack Sacks”, a sack of snacks to help curb hunger and offer a temporary solution as a meal to those who are food insecure.
- Theatre Salina, $10,000 to assist with the cost of bussing from Durham School Services for USD305 students to experience live theatre field trips at the Center for Theatre Arts.
For more information about Salina Area United Way visit www.unitedwaysalina.org, or contact the Salina Area United Way office at 785-827-1312.