Giving Back: 50 States for Good
Our 2010 Project Sponsorship Winners
Small differences in the community can make a large difference in the world, so we want to support and encourage your efforts to get involved! Thanks for taking the time to vote for your favorites. In September 2010 we awarded five 501c (3) nonprofit organizations chosen by you with $20,000. What makes this really special is that all of you helped to choose them. Each winner will make a difference in their community thanks to your support, and that's the best news of all. Read more about the winning organizations.
Project Name: Bloomington Community Orchard
Bloomington, IN
Funding will support the publicly-owned, volunteer-maintained orchard in Indiana. The orchard contributes to local food security, inspires joyful community engagement, and educates citizens while making sustainability delicious.
”Winning the grant will allow us to make our vision of a publicly-owned volunteer-run orchard a reality. Specifically with this money, we’re going to make all of our pathways wheelchair accessible, so everyone can enjoy. Additionally, we’ll be purchasing more fruit trees, filling out the entire orchard. With a full orchard, we’ll be able to contribute to increased food security within our local community and we’ll be able to educate people on the importance of organic food and how can grow it in their own backyard. Thank you to everyone at Tom’s of Maine and our entire community who voted for our cause.“ –Amy Countryman, Treasurer, The Bloomington Community Orchard
Project Name: IMPACT Alabama: A Student Service Initiative
Birmingham, AL
Funding will be used to fund IMPACT Alabama’s FocusFirst: An Alabama Student Vision Initiative, which trains college students to provide vision screenings for low-income pre-school children. The organization, which reaches nearly one thousand daycare centers a year, will help pay for transportation across Alabama, screenings and follow-up appointments.
”The reality in our state and in others is that very few children receive quality vision care before entering public school, even though children have eye problems that manifest by age 2. There is a generation of 4 and 5 year olds that can’’t see well enough to learn how to read. 11% of children we screen have a previously undiagnosed eye problem. The support from Tom’s of Maine will directly equate to 1,000 children being able to start school ready and able to learn.“– Stephen Black, President/Founder, IMPACT Alabama.
Project Name: Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation
Indianapolis, IN
The organization, made up of teachers, professors and college students studying to be teachers, will fund its Literacy Alive! Program, which encourages lifelong learning through literacy for not only K-12 students but also adults.
”Receiving the award makes a huge difference for KDP’s Literacy Alive! national service initiative and the thousands of students it serves. We are very grateful for Tom’s of Maine support and our strong base of skilled collegiate and professional educators who organize and deliver the local programs. Being volunteer-driven means that each $100 invested in Literacy Alive! supports direct interaction with 250 students.“ –Barbara Richardson, Educational Foundation Director, Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation
Project Name: Palmetto Animal League
Bluffton, SC
Funding will help build the organization’s ”dog lifestyle room“with the goal of helping dogs acquaint themselves to living in a home with a kitchen, couch, television and other items they’ll encounter once adopted. The room will allow them to retain the training they received from their volunteer foster care handlers.
”Our dogs become socialized and trained thanks to our foster-care volunteers. They learn how to interact with people and we learn if they get along with children or cats, making each adoption more successful. This training lowers the odds that the animal will be returned to us after it’s adopted. This grant from Tom’s of Maine is absolutely essential in recreating that foster care experience in our new building and allows us to make sure the dogs have everything they need to find a permanent home.“ – Amy Campanini, Executive Director, Palmetto Animal League.
Project Name: Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Philadelphia, PA
PAWS Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic will use the funding to provide free spay/neuter surgery to pets of low-income residents, as well as basic veterinary care to dogs and cats who would not otherwise receive it over a six month period in the Philadelphia area.
”At our low-cost Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic, we serve pet owners who have difficulty affording veterinary care. However, many Philadelphians cannot afford even our reduced costs. We are deeply grateful to Tom’s of Maine for providing this grant, which will allow us to help hundreds of the truly neediest pets and the people who love them. As a result, we will enable pets to remain as cherished family members, reduce the number of animals surrendered to city shelters, and bring Philadelphia one step closer to becoming a no-kill city.“– Melissa Levy, Executive Director, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).