Students invest in city by approving grants for Athens-related projects

Taylor Lane, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·4 min read

Jun. 1—The Athens Mayor's Youth Commission recently allocated funding given to them by the Dekko Foundation to their community grant program. The youth commissioners issued grants to various community organizations, prioritizing healthcare, quality of life and education in informing their decisions regarding what organizations to grant funds to.

The youth commissioners accepted grant proposals from nonprofits with programs, projects or events with the purpose of benefiting Athens and its community members. The youth commission received more than $7,000 in requests which exceeded the amount of funding they had available to issue grants.

The youth commissioners met in small groups to determine their priorities and then as a whole decided what organizations to allocate funds to.

"This is one of my favorite meetings with the students because you hear what they think are the important issues facing our city and what they believe deserves investment," Mayor Ronnie Marks said.

The Youth Commissioners chose the following projects:

Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation

$1,000 for lead aprons for Surgical Services and Radiology.

"We greatly appreciate the support from the Athens Mayors Youth Commission to provide new lead aprons and back braces for our staff. Lead aprons are used in Surgical Services and Radiology on a daily basis to keep our employees safe from radiation during X-ray procedures," said Caroline Canestrari, Director of the Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation. "This grant will assist us in replacing lead aprons and will keep our staff safe while caring for our patients. We will also be able to provide new back braces that will significantly reduce fatigue and back pain associated with wearing lead aprons on a daily basis. These two new pieces of medical equipment are a much needed addition at ALH to ensure we are safely and comfortably caring for our patients. We are so grateful to the Athens Mayors Youth Commission for seeing local healthcare as a priority."

Learn-to-Read

$500 for organizing student spaces for after-school tutoring.

Make A Way Foundation

$500 for a sensory path hallway at Athens Elementary that's designed for children with spatial or learning disabilities.

"On behalf of the Make A Way board, I thank you for your investment in the lives of those with special needs," Make A Way Founder and President Stacey Givens told the Youth Commissioners. "Your money will help us continue to serve them and their families here in Athens and Limestone County."

Athens Family Resource Center

$500 for its teen program where teens and parents/guardians address issues facing teens.

"The Family Resource Center is so thankful for the Athens Mayor's Youth Commission for their continued support of our annual Teen Christmas Program. It is the only Christmas program in our area that focuses on ages 13-18 still in school. The program allows us to not only bless the youth but also to interact with their parents who attend a class to learn how to help their child deal with issues such as bullying. The parents like attending the class and we have witnessed friendships develop between them that continue to be a support network for them long after the class ends," said Tina Cook, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center. "The Athens Mayor's Youth Commission grant of $500 is our first investment into the 2022 Teen Christmas Program. The youth also come to help do set-up and clean-up for the event, assist with door prize drawings at the class, and hand out teen gift bags to the parents. On another note, the AMYC helped me as a grant writer for the Center. When I first began applying for the funds from them, I was new to just about everything to do with my job. The feedback I got from them helped me understand what I needed to include in other grants to ensure we receive allocations and funds that we apply for."

Athens Main Street

$500 for a kiosk to provide updated information for the farmers, artisans and customers who utilize the Athens Farmers Market, specifically customers with low to moderate incomes without access to social media.

Hospice of Limestone County (Camp Hope)

$350 for feeling pillows and bracelets made by children and their camp buddies as they learn how to deal with grief.

The youth commissioners allocated $125 each to four additional organizations to aid in raising the funds needed to complete their individual projects.

The projects are as follows:

* Alabama Veterans Museum — For the preservation of historical documents, in particular World War II propaganda posters.

* Athens-Limestone Public Library Foundation — For Launchpads to enable children to have additional avenues of interaction and learning, with the Launchpads focusing on language and literacy for preschoolers.

* Athens-Limestone Community Association — For sound and video equipment for the Pincham-Lincoln Community Center at historic Trinity/Fort Henderson, to promote more cultural and educational activities.

* Athens-Limestone Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Essay/Art Contest — For prizes given to the student winners of the annual essay and art contest that focuses on the Civil Rights Movement based on King's speeches.