TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: $63,000
A special thank you to our many contributors!
The New Mexico Children’s Foundation announces its grant recipients for 2009. For the first time a special grant has been awarded to Camp Rising Sun in honor of Alice King who passed away last year. Mrs. King founded the New Mexico Children’s Foundation seventeen years ago. Grants totaling $63,500 will provide services to children in New Mexico.
- Cancer Services of NM — Albuquerque — $3,500
Zoo Night for Kids with Cancer (July 18, 2009) will provide a buffet dinner, an educational talk by a pediatric oncologist, T-shirts, door prizes, face painting, goodie bags and an exhibit area featuring organizations that address pediatric oncology issues. This event will be open to all NM pediatric cancer patients/survivors. - Children’s Grief Center of NM — Albuquerque — $3,500
Grief support for children experiencing loss. Support groups are designed to give the child the opportunity to talk, draw, write, play or act out their experiences with others who are going through the same thing. - Camp Rising Sun — Albuquerque — $7,500, Alice King Grant
A summer camp for 72 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Under the guidance of trained counselors, campers will hike, make crafts, ride horses, participate in rope courses, swim and work on social and language skills deficient in people with ASD. CRS collaborates with the Center for Development and Disability at UNM. - Kirtland Youth Association — Kirtland — $2,500
The grant will provide additional laptops for both the After School and the Summer Literacy and Recreation Programs. Children, kindergarten through 8th grades, work on literacy activities, social studies, math and science. 220 children participate in the summer program. - Mesilla Valley CASA — Las Cruces — $4,000
Children First provides supervised family visitation services between children in foster care and their biological parents to help children in foster care move to family reunification. Parent-child bonding is facilitated through the use of games, books, puzzles and toys. - CASA First Judicial District — Santa Fe, Los Alamos & Rio Arriba Counties — $3,500
Provide enhanced training opportunities to develop advocate specialists to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these advocates for children in foster care. Specialized areas include early childhood development needs and issues, education advocacy, implications/affects of multiple prescribed medications and teen pregnancy and prevention issues. - SF Trail School for Performing Arts — Raton — $3,000
Raton Youth Theater, based in the historic Shuler Theater provides a summer workshop program for children from second through twelfth grade. Also included are performances throughout the calendar year. This Theater as Therapy program helps participants to see beyond their immediate circumstances to the glorious possibilities for their future. - SE NM Downs Syndrome Foundation — Roswell — $3,000
The Learning Center teaches language and early reading skills to children with Down Syndrome. The program focuses on parents as first-teachers for their children. The goal is to implement researched based methods of learning that can easily transition into a school setting for children with Down Syndrome. - Community Partnership for Children — Silver City — $3,000
Playful Parenting Training Series will train up to 120 parents, home care providers, early childhood teachers and therapists to address bonding and attachment issues with infants and toddler. The program collaborates with Western New Mexico University. - Truchas Services Center Inc . — Truchas — $3,000
The Truchas Community Library and Truchas Preschool provide hands on reading and projects for children. The preschool seeks to prepare children in these rural communities for kindergarten and provide library activities to school age children - Gerard’s House – Santa Fe – $3,500 Provides emotional and psychological support for children in Northern New Mexico who are experiencing a life crisis because of the death of a loved one. The long-term goal is to help end self-destructive behaviors because of unresolved grief and loss.
- New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project, Inc. -Northern Santa Fe and Rio Arriba Counties - $3,500 Provides school-based suicide prevention education and skills training for youth, parents and teachers. Appropriate post-suicide intervention services and training to school communities through crisis teams which provide an organized response in the event of a youth suicide.
- Global Opportunities Unlimited, Inc . – Albuquerque – $2,000 Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program for children with a wide range of physical, emotional, cognitive and social disabilities.
- Casa De Cultura – Las Vegas – $2,000 Provide science education activities to local schools and children.
- Boys & Girls Club of Abiquiu – Abiquiu- $3,000 During summer program, participants will design and complete projects about local history using interviews, re-enactments and demonstrations through collaboration with the Pueblo de Abiquiu Library. Youth will connect with the local history of Abiquiu and its residents.
- St. Francis School – Lumberton – $2,000 A year-long green, school-wide effort to construct a green house, install rainwater catchment system, science fair projects, investigations into the historic agricultural techniques, planting of low water use gardens and the eventual development of a local farmers market.
- Boys & Girls Club in Chimayo- Chimayo – $2,500 A summer program that focuses on improving the health habits of participants by educating children about nutrition through learning activities and providing a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack. Daily fitness challenges and goal setting will emphasize the important of daily exercise to good health and positive self identity.
- Youth Heartline – Taos – $4,000 – Family Empowerment Program provides group therapy and aftercare advocacy on behalf of children and families dealing with issues of child abuse and trauma. The goal is to break the cycle of abuse through free group support and therapy in Taos County.
- Camp Corzaones – Santa Fe – $4,500 Provides an annual summer camp at not cost to children age 5 to 12 years for children with or impacted by AIDS.
New Mexico Children’s Foundation is a visionary, grassroots organization that funds small non-profit children’s organizations throughout New Mexico. A group can be a start-up with a strong mission or a growing organization with a special needs program. Organizations served through the foundation’s funding come in all shapes, sizes and ethnicities. The foundation’s core belief is that most children have a wide range of under-served needs. The foundation’s goal is to provide meaningful grants to serve as many of those needs as possible.
The Children’s Foundation was founded in 1992 by former First Lady Alice King as a state-wide grant-making organization. Since its beginning, it has provided more than $700,000 in funding to 160 non-profit organizations, in 30 communities throughout New Mexico. 80% of all monies raised by the foundation is used for grants.
For more information, please contact Carol Robertson Lopez, Executive Director, 505-986-2043