PORTLAND, Ore.–Advantis Credit Union has named six nonprofit organizations to receive grants through GROW, The Advantis Community Fund.
The grant fund has contributed over $200,000 to local organizations and funded 27 projects since the program began in 2011. The news was first reported by the Anthem, the newsletter of the Northwest Credit Union Association.
Advantis invited the community and members to vote on 12 local projects that had been chosen by a selection committee, via Advantis’ Facebook page, and through its website. More than 30,000 public votes helped to determine the six grantees.
“The Children's Book Bank is incredibly grateful to be a recipient of the Advantis Credit Union GROW Grant,” said Jocelyn Beh, development director at The Children’s Book Bank, one of the recipient organizations, in a statement first published by Anthem. “With this support, 2,000 culturally diverse books will be added to the bundles of books that we give to Portland-area children in need. The GROW grant gives kids an opportunity to learn about other cultures, to see their own lives and communities reflected in books, and to develop a wider curiosity for the world.”
Among the recipients:
- The Children’s Book Bank will receive a grant to support children’s language development by providing low-income families of color and English language learners with culturally specific books.
- Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. will receive a grant to provide low-income women with safety gear including hard hats, safety glasses, rain gear, gloves and tool belts to prepare pre-apprenticeship students for employment in high-wage construction trades careers.
- Raphael House will receive a grant to create an outdoor play structure and enhance the courtyard at its emergency shelter for women and children, providing spaces where families can safely enjoy being outdoors.
- SnowCap will receive a grant to replace the freezer in its shopping-style pantry, increasing access to healthy frozen foods for those who are unable to afford it.
- Store to Door will receive a grant to create four new call stations which will be used by volunteers to take grocery orders and provide outreach calls to elderly and disabled clients.
- The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon will receive a grant to support a new phone system for the organization that receives nearly 10,000 phone calls annually to provide services to cats and caregivers.