The mission of the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland is to improve the quality of life by providing a vehicle that promotes philanthropy. As the fastest growing Community Foundation in the Southeast, we have firmly established ourselves as the source for philanthropic news and advice in the Lakeland area. We currently hold nearly $60 million in assets and since our inception in 1997 we have granted out over $50 million.
Year to date for 2007, the CFGL's donors have granted out more than $5 million. Some of the agencies and programs to receive funding include:
Achievement Academy - Familiar Voices: The goal of this program is to provide all 88 Achievement Academy Charter School students with developmentally appropriate books and a recorder to take home. A family member will then read the book and record his or her voice in their primary language. This program will encourage early literacy and will help with the seperation process that young children have coming into a preschool.
Friends Together, Inc. - TEAM Teen Empowerment and Mentoring: Recognizing HIV affected teens are vulnerable, requiring specialized supports to enable them to live healthy, productive lives in our communities, benefits the community as a whole. The TEAM program intends to provide education, empowerment, mentoring and community involvement. The difficult journey of the HIV infected/affected teen becomes nearly impossible without such supports. Developing healthy relationships, sense of control and empowerment, and a positive outlook in the teen years, will lead to healthy, happy, savvy adults.
Kiwanis Clubs - Stuff the Bus: Stuff the Bus is a community event spearheaded by the Kiwanis Clubs of Lakeland. This event attempts to collect enough school supplies to assure that all Lakeland economically disadvantaged elementary students have the necessary school supplies to start the school year. While helping to reach over 55% of the Lakeland students living at or near the poverty line. Stuff the Bus also relieves the financial burden teachers ofter incur helping these students.
Estates at Carpenter's - Brain Fitness Program: This program would benefit all persons with a desire to improve their cognitive skills and increase their rate of processing information. The goal of this program is to increase cognitive skills by focusing on sharpening memories, improving attentions spans and enhancing their communication process.
Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine - Medical Services for Diabetics: LVIM is requesting this grant to provide specialty services to its patients with diabetes, who may come many times each year to see the doctor or nurse. This grant will enable 700 patient visits during 2007 for patients with diabetes. Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, Inc. offers medical care for diabetic patients including doctor's visits, lab work, prescription medications and supplies when possible.
Explorations V Children's Museum - Feel the Art: VSA arts of Florida's Feel the Art brings the joy of art to all! This mult-sensory exhibit presents textured adaptations of famous art pieces, enhanced by auditory, large print and Braille descriptions of the pieces with explanations of materials used to re-create them. Designed to bring enjoyment and learning to visually impaired students, Feel the Art also provides the sighted with a new, tactile experience of art and a better understanding of people with limited sight.
Santa Fe Catholic High School - Medieval Faire: The Medieval Faire is a "history alive" interdisciplinary program involving Santa Fe's students and apporximately 150 5th and 6th graders from area schools. Santa Fe students demnstrate their knowledge and skills by re-creating persons who would have lived and worked during the Middle Ages for a role-play involving the younger students. The guest students receive educational materials, some to be completed prior to the day and others to be completed the day of as they experience the activities.
This is a small sampling of the programs and organizations that our donors have supported over the last 10 years. To learn more about programs currently available for funding, click here.
