2006 Community Grant Awards

We know that violence against girls increases girls’ violence.
Over 60% of girls in the juvenile justice system have a history of being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, and this number is continuing to climb.  In Alabama, during 2004, 45% of the 1,665 reported rapes were of girls under 18 years of age. To address this issue, TWF funded:

$8,000 to Creative Wellness Institute, Strong Girls Program
for which TWF was one of the first funders, serves girls 13-17 who are referred by juvenile court or DHR. Up to 90% of girls referred have a history of abuse. The 12 week program consists of individual, group and family counseling and utilizes problem-solving activities, dance, drumming, creative drama, art and poetry. Clients are followed by phone and face-to-face contacts for a year with the goal to decrease high-risk behaviors and live free from future juvenile court involvement. TWF funds will provide staff time to conduct the program.

$8,000 to Prescott House Child Advocacy Center
to fund needed forensic interviews for girls. Child Advocacy Centers are quasi-public nonprofit organizations that assist the police and prosecutors in pursuing successful prosecutions of sexual violence involving children.

$2,500 to the Crisis Center’s Rape Response, Teen Survivor’s Group
to include a sand therapy modality in the support groups for teen girls who have been raped. Sand therapy has proven effective for girls who are not otherwise able to communicate their feelings.

$12,000 to C.H.I.P.S. and Children’s Hospital
to increase therapy sessions for girls who are victims of physical and sexual abuse. Counseling assists girls in overcoming the emotional pain associated with abuse and in learning healthy coping skills to counter patterns of behavior that can lead to further victimization. This grant will allow the addition of another part-time counselor to provide counseling in the afternoons and after-hours, reaching girls who otherwise cannot attend counseling sessions or would have to miss school for sessions.

The primary consequences of unprotected sex are borne by girls and their offspring.
In Alabama, there are 17,357 mothers under 20 years old. In 2005, 7500 births were to unmarried teens, which places a new generation at risk for poverty, poor health care and insufficient educational attainment.  Alabama ranks 43^rd in the nation for largest teen pregnancy rate.  To address this issue, TWF funded :

$5,000 to Shelby Emergency Assistance, Shelby Teens for Effective Parenting (STEP)
to deliver parenting education and support to pregnant and parenting teen girls living in Shelby County. The 48-week program teaches parenting skills, childbirth preparation and simultaneously encourages the students to stay in school.

$6,000 to Children’s Aid Society, Project Independence
to serve homeless, pregnant, and/or parenting youth ages 16-21, and their children. Project Independence provides safe transitional homes for up to 18 months, develops an individual plan for each parent that includes education, job training, parenting courses, individual & group counseling, group activities, child care, and close, daily supervision by staff. TWF funds contribute to the local match required for the federal grant to continue.

Title IX has not brought equity to sports programs for girls.
Participation in sports deters pregnancy, provides protective health factors, and gives girls access to higher education scholarships. 76.9% of Alabama women have completed high school (49^th lowest rate in nation); yet, only 17.4% have completed four or more years of college. To address this issue, TWF funded:

$15,000 to Alabama Road Runners Recreation and Education Development Association, College Visions Through Hoop Dreams
to enable this all-volunteer staff to recruit girls from area schools to participate in the Amateur Athletic Union Basketball tournaments throughout the summer. Their primary goal is to promote the value of education by providing guidance and support to these girls to go to college and they are succeeding: 98% of girls attend college. A recent participant plays basketball for the University of Tennessee.

$5,000 to New Life Harvest Ministries, Inc., Kids Early Empowerment
to support year-round sports programs to girls in the Gate City community. The girls are coached and participate in local and regional competitions for track, soccer, volleyball, basketball and double-dutch jump rope. The girls gain self-esteem, confidence, diverse experiences, mentoring and physical health.

Mass media and societal influences contribute to distorted body images. Four out of  one hundred girls have eating disorders. Distorted body-images and distorted self-images affect and are affected by depression, coping with the trauma of abuse, and self-esteem and can lead to risky behaviors. To address this issue, TWF funded:

$8,500 to Girls, Inc., Media Smarts
to teach girls, ages 9-11 years to think critically about how media messages are constructed. The program helps girls find ways to overcome bias in the news; practice strong, smart and bold characters; and tackle issues such as beauty, diversity, and stereotypes in the media.

$5,000 to Alabama Youth Homes
which operates a girls’ group home in Hayden (Blount County) for 10 girls who are referred by the Department of Human Resources (DHR) and Department of Youth Services (DYS) due to their need for foster care or because of delinquent acts. The girls have a history of abuse and/or neglect. This grant will provide a counselor with training and a curriculum for a 12 week positive body image support group that examines the cultural messages and personal beliefs that influence their body image. The overall goal is to help the girls improve their self-esteem and in turn help the girls make healthier choices in other aspects of their lives.

When girls and boys are grouped together to deal with emotional well-being issues, both shut down.
To address this issue, TWF funded:

$10,000 to Amelia Center at Children’s Hospital
TWF will fund additional counseling hours for individual and group counseling to girls and teens who have lost a family member or close friend. Girls learn about the grief process and healthy coping skills that encourage hope and healing at our community’s only program exclusively for grief counseling.

$5,000 to Cornerstone Schools of Alabama, Girls’ Club
For at-risk students who are enrolled in this unique school for college preparatory education in academics, leadership and character development. TWF will fund the expansion of the “Girls’ Club” program that currently serves 8^th grade girls to include 7^th grade girls. The program is an after-school program that provides a forum for girls to openly discuss relationships, health, school and family issues.