45-City Neighborhood Excellence Initiative® Strengthens Local Economies, Invests in Leadership, Supports Jobs and Social Services
FLORIDA – As part of an ongoing effort to stimulate economic vitality in Florida and in communities across the nation, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation today announced it is providing $3.15 million in flexible funding and leadership training to local Florida nonprofits in seven markets through its Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, bringing the bank’s total commitment in Florida through the program to more than $21 million since the inception in 2004.
The initiative continues to help hundreds of the nation’s most impactful nonprofits build capacity by improving their long-term viability and bolster leadership strength, retain and hire new staff, and extend the depth and reach of their services – capabilities that are integral to community revitalization and critical in the current economy when nonprofit funding is down and demand for services is up.
Fourteen Florida organizations, named 2010 Neighborhood Builders®, will each receive $200,000 in unrestricted grant funding and participate in Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Leadership Program® with other nonprofit leaders from 44 communities across the country and from London.
“Through our Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, we are helping to generate meaningful and cumulative economic and social impact at the local level where it’s needed most,” said Michael Fields, Florida state market president, Bank of America. “By supporting communities throughout Florida and across the country, we are leveraging the combined strength of our philanthropy and lending and investing initiatives to help set opportunity in motion for organizations, families, individuals and entire neighborhoods.”
The Neighborhood Excellence Initiative honors two other categories of community leaders: Local Heroes and Student Leaders®.
Local Heroes contribute significantly to the health of their neighborhood through volunteer service and civic engagement. With this recognition, 35 Florida heroes will each direct a $5,000 donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to an eligible nonprofit of their choice.
Student Leaders are exemplary teens with a passion for improving their communities. Thirty-five Florida high school students participated in paid, eight-week internships at local Florida nonprofits this summer (at the height of the teen unemployment rate) and gathered in Washington, D.C. with 200 of their peers from across the country for a weeklong summit to learn how service creates positive change in communities and to gain tools and resources to help them continue to make a difference in their local communities.
This fall, all 2010 Florida NEI winners will also be honored at local events.
The 2010 Florida Neighborhood Builder and Local Hero awardees are:
BROWARD COUNTY
Neighborhood Builders
· Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Fort Lauderdale, committed to reducing homelessness through advocacy, housing and comprehensive services
· Minority Development and Empowerment, Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach, provides programs and services that empower Caribbean and minority individuals and families
Local Heroes
· Bill Fauerbach, of Pompano Beach, will direct his grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters
· Sylvia Kramer, of Sunrise, will direct her grant to Senior Volunteer Services
· Rosalind Osgood, of Ft. Lauderdale, will direct her grant to Mount Olive Development Corporation
· Joyce Quinn, of Davie, will direct her grant to 4Kids of South Florida
· Henri Crockett, of Pompano Beach, will direct his grant to Crockett Foundation
JACKSONVILLE
Neighborhood Builders*
· Youth Crisis Center provides safe shelter, counseling and life skills training for at-risk youth
· Community Connections provides housing and support to women and families in need
Local Heroes*
· Mai Keisling will direct her grant to University of North Florida Foundation
· Drew Prusiecki will direct his grant to Florida Theatre
· Patricia Vaughn will direct her grant to Interchurch Coalition for Action Reconciliation and Empowerment (ICARE)
· Dan Bradford will direct his grant to The Bridge of Northeast Florida
· Sandra Mathis will direct her grant to Family Nurturing Center of Florida
* all recipients reside in Jacksonville.
MIAMI
Neighborhood Builders
· Breakthrough Miami, Coconut Grove/Miami Shores, inspires and encourages middle school students to thrive in college
· ACCION USA, Coral Gables, empowers low-to-moderate income business owners through access to capital and financial education
Local Heroes
· Cleveland Bell, of Central Miami, will direct his grant to Lotus House
· Margaret Gaines, of Palmetto Bay, will direct her grant to Feeding South Florida
· Shelby Hinds, of Central Miami, will direct her grant to Lotus House
· Octavia Kearney, of Broward County, will direct her grant to The Because I’m Beautiful Girls Club
· Evelys Ubiera, of Central Miami, will direct her grant to Dade Amateur Golf Association Disability Division
ORLANDO
Neighborhood Builders
· Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, Winter Park, provides social services to at-risk children, needy families, frail elderly, homeless and mentally ill in Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties
· Shepherd’s Hope, Orlando, provides health care for the uninsured through nine free medical clinics
Local Heroes
· Andrew Lane, of Orlando, will direct his grant to Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
· Sabrina Carter, of Orlando, will direct her grant to Children’s Home Society of Florida MODEL Mentoring Program
· Julia Young, of Orlando, will direct her grant to Urban Think Foundation – Page 15, a youth literacy program
· Peter Schreyer, of Winter Park, will direct his grant to Crealde School of Art
· Ivy Fowler, of Orlando, will direct her grant to Tiger Den at Jones High School
PALM BEACH COUNTY
Neighborhood Builders
· 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, Lantana, provides crisis intervention, information, health and human service support via a telephone hotline
· Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, provides free legal advice and representation to disadvantaged children, families and elders
Local Heroes
· Christine Oberlink, of New Jersey, will direct her grant to Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches
· Alexandra Gabrielle Rothman, of Delray Beach, will direct her grant to National MS Society’s South Florida Chapter
· Jeanned’Arc Tousignant, of Indiana, will direct her grant to Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches
· Chriss Tress, of Jupiter, will direct his grant to Urban Youth Impact
· Maryanne Hedrick, of Jersey City, NJ, will direct her grant to Scholarship America/Barry Grunow Scholarship Fund in Lake Worth Florida
TAMPA BAY AREA
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Neighborhood Builders
· Tampa Metropolitan YMCA, Tampa, grant given to support the operations of the Children’s Learning Center in Sulphur Springs
· Wheels of Success, Tampa Bay, provides personal transportation solutions to keep people working and sustain their independence
Local Heroes
· Evangeline “Vann” Best, of Tampa, will direct her grant to Corporation to Develop Communities (CDC) of Tampa
· Jeff Darrey, of Tampa, will direct his grant to Trinity Cafe
· Helen Gordon Davis, of Tampa, will direct her grant to Centre for Women
· Dr. Richard Hoffmann, of Lutz, will direct his grant to Metropolitan Ministries
· Vicki Sokolik, of Tampa, will direct her grant to Starting Right, Now
PINELLAS COUNTY
Neighborhood Builders
– St. Petersburg Free Clinic helps to meet basic underserved human needs through resources, volunteers and advocacy
– Community Tampa Bay promotes dialogue and respect among all cultures, religions and races to create an inclusive society strengthened by diversity
Local Heroes
· Donna Gaffney, of Tierra Verde, will direct her grant to Suncoast Voices for Children
· Tracey Locke, of St. Petersburg, will direct her grant to Florida Holocaust Museum
· Alizza Punzalan, of St. Petersburg, will direct her grant to Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center
· Ed Schatzman, of Spring Hill, will direct his grant to St. Petersburg Police Athletic League
· Dr. Edward Zbella, of Belleair, will direct his grant to Bayfront Health Foundation, the Dr. Raul Montenegro Endowment
