Last year 45 organizations applied for All Souls Food Booth funds, and in all more than $17,700 was awarded to nine non-profits in the Asheville area. Here several of them report on how these funds were used.
This year’s Food Booth will be August 5-7; the announcement for how you can help with All Souls’ biggest outreach fundraiser.
Hope Chest for Women
On behalf of the Hope Chest for Women, I would like to thank you once again for the $1,000 grant from the 2010 Arts and Crafts Festival, received September 29, 2010.
Soon after receipt of this grant money, six applicants were assisted with prescriptions, lymphedema garments, and rent. These western North Carolina women had been diagnosed with either breast, cervical, or ovarian cancer and experienced financial difficulties due to treatment-incurred cost.
Grants and donations support programs created to improve the lives of women with cancer and their families in our community. These programs help with financial needs as well as provide social, emotional, and educational assistance to female patients with breast and gynecologic cancers.
Without supporters like you this organization would not be possible. It is with great appreciation that we accepted your donation.
Kathy Haney
Executive Director
Women at Risk/WCCJ
The Deciding Against Violence Program (DAV) of Women At Risk has experienced another productive year and we thank the Cathedral of All Souls for your support via the Food Both Fund. DAV serves mothers whose problems with anger management and family violence are compounded by mental health and substance abuse issues. DAV services include a 26-week treatment group, intensive case management, court advocacy, child-care during group, among other services—all of which are offered here at our welcoming facility at 218 Paton Avenue in downtown Asheville.
With support from the All Souls Food Booth Funds, over the past twelve months, DAV experienced a 57% increase in the number of clients accepted into our program. And our DAV clients increased their Program completion rate to 68%. The Deciding Against Violence Program of Women At risk is unique. There is no other program in Buncombe County that provides state-certified anger management and abuser treatment services to poor women. Thank you once again for helping Women At Risk make a positive difference in the lives of the folks we serve.
Ellen Clarke
Executive Director
Thank you so much for supporting our work improving the health and lives of the Latino community here. Centro de Enlace and the community greatly appreciate your generosity and concern for the well being of our families.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Turner
Executive Director
It has been a year since Children First/CIS received the Cathedral of All Souls Food Booth funding for the Project MARCH Learning Center. The generous support of The Cathedral of All Souls is an incredible investment in the lives of children, youth and their families in Buncombe County and helps create a better future for all children. Below is a list of accomplishments from the Project MARCH Learning Center for the grant year.
- We registered 75 students for three Project MARCH Learning Centers. We currently have 60 students continuously enrolled in the program.
- 83% of our students are maintaining a passing grade.
- 91% of parents have participated in at least two parent workshops and 71% have participated in three or more workshops. In addition, 60 out of 61 parents have volunteered at the learning centers and have contributed 438 volunteer hours.
Money from the Food Booth funding provided the following:
- Transportation for students from all three learning centers to go to the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration; Health Adventure Alice In Wonderland Exhibit; West Asheville Library; Short Street Cakes; River Arts District and the Lake Eden Arts Festival
- Supplies for healthy snacks and arts and crafts
- Three cameras so site leaders can capture memories of the students in our program
Again, I am appreciative of the financial support from The Cathedral of All Souls for helping put children first in Buncombe County.
Allison Jordan
Executive Director
New Choices Program
On behalf of the YWCA of Asheville, we wanted to thank you for the support that The Cathedral of All Souls has provided to the YWCA this year.
The $2,000 in Food Booth proceeds that you provided our New Choices program helped participants obtain those incidental things that are essential to securing work, accessing education, or obtaining benefits, but that can act as barriers to going to work or school.
The purpose of the New Choices program is to provide an avenue for women in economic crisis to access needed services, become more self-confident and educated, and empower them to develop life-changing strategies that will lead to both economic and emotional independence.
With the support of The Cathedral of All Souls, our Ready-to-Work Fund is helping 15 participants:
- Monthly bus passes – Three clients are regularly receiving bus passes to attend school this semester. Bus passes are $20 each.
- Uniforms for CNA students – Five students each received a gift card for $200 to purchase uniforms.
- Testing fees for CNA students – the YW paid $82/each for two students to take the CNA exam.
- Books for school – four students each received a gift card for $200 to purchase books.
- Mountain Bizworks – one student asked the YW to pay her fee to attend the basic class. Fees are charged on a sliding scale and her fee was $60.
We love to tell the story of the important work that is going on here. If we can help tell that story to your community, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (828) 254-7206, ext. 206 or email tami.ruckman@ywcaofasheville.org. Thank you again for your contribution to the work of empowering women and eliminating racism.
Tami Ruckman
Director of Development