On February 8, the Women's Fund of Smith County awarded four impact grants totaling $298,487, a record year of giving for 2018. They include East Texas Symphony Orchestra - $33,875, Christian Women's Job Corps - $64,582, Habitat for Humanity of Smith County - $100,000 and The Mentoring Alliance - $100,000. This will bring the cumulative amount of grants awarded since 2009 to $1,443,220, impacting 26 agencies and countless lives. Thank you Women's Fund members!
With this grant, ETSO looks forward to expanding the reach of music education by bringing the concert experience of Link Up to other school districts in Smith County. Lindale IDS (third through fifth grades) has been identified as an additional district. The Link Up program is a nationally recognized program which integrates professionally prepared standards-based classroom curricula with interactive performances by the ETSO, creating a dynamic learning experience.
This grant will provide for functionality upgrades at the new CWJC location, including classroom expansion, additional computers/keyboards, laptops for advanced curriculum study, a counseling room and virtual library. With the expansion CWJC will have the capacity to serve 400 women annually, helping them create a new personal life plan to secure employment and self-sufficiency, the foundation for lasting generational transformation.
This initiative seeks to help women in our community who do not have the means to repair or maintain their homes. The project is designed to promote the health and safety of low-income women in Smith County by improving their housing conditions. It will allow for repairs or modifications on the homes of an estimated 24 female homeowners whose living conditions create health or safety issues.
Through this after-school program, at-risk middle school youth learn from role models and grow academically and emotionally. Students will be given homework assistance, career development, arts enrichment and sports activities. By providing a safe, nurturing environment combined with positive adult interaction for these students, the negative adulthood outcomes of low income, poor health, incarceration, drug use and gang activity will be decreased. The hope is to interrupt the cycle and keep middle school youth on track - setting them on a path for academic success, while fostering important skills for life-readiness.
