- Good evening, everybody. I would like to call tonight Sophia Travis Grant Committee meeting to order.
- Today is Wednesday, May 13th. I want to know for the record we have all except for Councilmember Trent Decker.
- That is here, but I'm going to have Since we this is one of the favorite parts. I really talks about
- the most wonderful time of the year, which is this part So we before we get started There's some new
- faces that are here and I'd like to introduce Our our folks that are up here that are part of the committee.
- So committee team. Thank you very much
- If you would like to start and I'll start down here first and just say your name and how long you've
- been on the committee. Hello, my name is Liz final I'm County Council at large and I've been on this
- committee. This is my second year. So it's only been six months since we've been here because we rearrange
- the time but it's my second year. I'm happy to be here and hear all of you tonight. Good evening. My
- name is Katie Hopkins and I've been on this committee for two months, three months.
- I'm the newbie. I'm also Jennifer Crossley. I've been on council for five years, and each of those five
- years I've been very fortunate and blessed to be a part of Sophia Travis Grant Committee. Hi, Robertson.
- This is my second year being part of the Sophia Travis Grant Committee, and I'm really looking forward
- to getting this year started. Thank you. Great.
- So it's the moment that you all have been waiting for. Don't be nervous. You can all take a deep breath.
- There's no questions that will be asked of us. All of y'all will have three minutes to present your
- case. And for those that are not the newbies, welcome back. Just to let you all know, has everybody
- had a chance to sign in? I believe so. Maybe not. OK.
- So Michelle, I think maybe, oh, okay, it's back there, okay. We have copies. She's keeping the original.
- Perfect. She'll update it as they. Oh, this is awesome. Okay, look at us, go team go. Okay, so if you
- have not signed in already, you can see Ms. Lehua that is in the back, hello, and she will help you
- get all signed in. All right, and so next up, I'll ask for our vice chair, Ms. Julie, to go ahead and start.
- I'd like to welcome all the applicants today to tonight's Sophia Travis Grant applicant presentation.
- If you have not already, please everybody sign in. I see some people coming in through the back, so
- please be sure to sign into the sheet. I would like to say that the agencies, in order to be eligible
- for the Sophia Travis Grant, all agencies must be a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization.
- grants in these primary areas that are eligible for support, and that would include food, nutrition,
- security, shelter, and health, transportation assistance, climate change, emergency shortages, first
- responders, veterans assistance, excellence in government, youth enrichment opportunities. The evaluation
- of the criteria of the applications, we ask that they
- the completion of all required reports from the previous Sophia Travis Grant Cycle Awards. We'd like
- to have those done and sent to us if you've received the Sophia Travis Grant in the past. The projects
- that you are gonna present tonight, they must be primarily for Monroe County residents. The extent to
- which the dollar amount sought to accomplish the stated goals of the projects, we need to know like how much.
- and the extent to which the funds sought will leverage additional funds or assistance. Okay, I think
- we're ready for Jennifer. Yay, okay. So again, everybody should, it's no different from year after year,
- but again, for our first time folks that are just joining in, everybody should have received the guidelines
- on how the presentations today will work. Did everybody receive those?
- Okay, I see thumbs up and heads nodding, so cool. Okay, so again, as I mentioned before, each person
- will have three minutes. Again, if you are virtually as well, you will also be presented with three
- minutes. TSD will have the timers on the TV monitors, and then for those in Teamland, you'll see it
- in your screen.
- and your virtual world there. So you'll have up to three minutes to speak. And then once you are winding
- down on your presentation, you'll have a 30-second flash. That will happen. Oh, they are displaying
- that for you already. So you can see that there. And then after you are done, you can just end.
- That's it. Again, as I mentioned before, there is no
- questions. So three minutes is your time to shine and let us know why you are here and what you are
- seeking. And that's it. All right. Excuse me. Do you want us to do a 30 second bell? Yeah, I think so.
- So just as people can know to wrap it up, because as they're paying attention to us, they might not
- be able to see the monitor. So you'll hear this little ding right here. So very fun and festive.
- All right. And so since everybody knows their order of presentation, you can just start to just roll
- on up after the next person is, you know, wrapping up so you can have a seat here on the bench here.
- But again, all of our presentations that are here again, you just go ahead and start. And it looks like
- first up on our presentation list is Hoosier Trails Council.
- afternoon my name is Rod Cates I'm here representing Hoosier Trails Council Scouting America. I want
- to thank you for your time and since my time is short I want to get started right away. The application
- I submitted requests funding to help us establish a Cub Scout pack here in Monroe County. With a Cub
- Scout program comes many benefits I want to focus on those real quick and tell you that they are benefits
- associated with youth, youth development, family engagement and community impact.
- Let's start with youth development. First of all, this program builds confidence, leadership, teamwork,
- skills through fun and engaging activities. The Scouts will be encouraged to work on healthy lifestyles
- and outdoor exploration. It supports character development through the Scout Oath and Art Law, which
- is on our application, promotes STEM learning, creativity, and problem solving, teaches Scouts to set goals,
- put in the time to reach them and be rewarded for having done so. And finally, provides a safe and positive
- environment for friendship and growth. Now, family engagement is equally important. As a family program,
- it creates opportunities for quality family time. We all need time with our families. And it encourages
- parent involvement in those activities and adventures these Scouts are taking. It strengthens communication
- and shared experiences, resulting in being supportive,
- relationships among families in our community, and finally, it helps parents provide opportunities to
- model positive values and leadership. Finally, Cub Scouts participate in service projects that improve
- neighborhoods and local areas. They also develop future leaders committed to community service. They
- will learn citizenship, responsibility, and helping others.
- It strengthens partnerships with our schools and our organizations and our community. And the communities
- benefit from engaged, respectful, and service-minded youth. Speaking of service-minded youth, I have
- a Cub Scout pack down at Lakeview Elementary here in Bloomington. They do something called Get Out and
- Scout. For the second year in a row, a group returned from their scouts to a local cemetery for meaningful
- headstone restoration project.
- Armed with water, soap, brushes, the Scouts worked in pairs to scrub away years of built-up dirt and
- grime. The kids loved the hands-on task, finding it both challenging and deeply satisfying to see the
- immediate transformation of the stones. This service project teaches the importance of honoring local
- history and respecting those who came before us. It's become a proud annual tradition for that pack,
- and they have plans to do it again this year.
- I'm here to request 4500 to help us establish a Cub Scout pack that we can benefit families, youth,
- and have a community impact with leadership in the future. Thank you very much. Thank you. Look at that.
- Everybody giving support. I love it. All right. Next up is Susie's place. Hi.
- My name is Caitlin Pratt. I am one of the forensic interviewers with Suzy's Place Child Advocacy Center.
- We are a nonprofit organization that works with children who have been the victims of abuse or neglect.
- This includes sex abuse, physical abuse, witness to violence, neglect, or other types of crimes involving
- children. We work in coordination with law enforcement,
- local prosecutor's office, DCS, and medical to provide services in response to these children who are
- the victims of violence.
- Suzy's Place has recently launched an internship program, and we're asking for $5,000 that would go
- towards both the master's level intern that would come to our center to work with the families to provide
- advocacy services and support. And then it would go towards the oversight that's required for a master's
- level social work intern.
- Suzy's Place has three locations, Terre Haute, Avon, and Bloomington. And Bloomington is by far one
- of our busiest and most impactful centers that we see. They have the highest numbers and some of the
- worst crimes that happens to children out of all of our Suzy's Place locations. Having additional master's
- level intern at our center would not only create a connection with the social work programs for folks
- that are wanting to go into that social work field and get that experience,
- experience and ability to work with kids but it also provides us the ability to have more hands on direct
- service to the children and families that we see. They would be doing things like helping schedule medical
- exams for emergency acute. They would contact families and connect them with services to the community
- in Monroe County and just be there as that support as they navigate the criminal justice system.
- I also want to say thank you. You guys have given us money before for a medical suite. It's done so
- much for the kids that we see. So I do want to end with that. So thank you for your time. Thank you.
- Next, we had tandem. But is there a member of tandem? And they're not online as well. So we have artists
- adjacent. Artists adjacent.
- and then followed up with CASA, or followed by CASA. Hi, everybody. My name is Susan Hingall, also known
- as Gus. Thank you all.
- In Monroe County, young people face real barriers to participating in live music, not because of lack
- of talent, but because most venues are age-restricted, costly, and not designed for substance-free
- participation. Artist Adjacent was created to address that gap by building inclusive, all-ages music
- experiences where youth and adults create together. As I said, my name is Gus, and I'm the founder and
- executive director of Artist Adjacent, Incorporated.
- The proposed project is a multi-generational all ages live music performance series used ages 13 to
- 20 are often limited to rehearsals or classroom practices.
- with few chances to perform for a real audience. At the same time, many adults are seeking more meaningful
- community-centered ways to engage with live music. This project meets both needs by creating accessible,
- substance-free events that invite young people and adults into shared creative space as performers,
- collaborators, and leaders. Each event pairs youth performers and experienced
- adult artist mentors. Youth participate not only on stage, but throughout the production process, taking
- on roles such as management, promotion, photography, sound, lighting, and coordination. Events are planned
- through facilitated co-design sessions, giving youth real creative decision-making power while being
- supported by artists who model professional practice and ensure safety and accessibility.
- Sophia Travis grant funds would directly support program and performance costs, including artists and
- mentor stipends venue rental liability insurance and promotion. These funds are intentionally focused
- on fair compensation and removing financial barriers so youth can fully participate.
- We evaluate impact through participation data, attendance, youth roles, surveys, and post-event reflection
- sessions. This allows us to refine a reproducible model that supports long-term sustainability and continued
- community engagement. This project is about equity, access, and visibility, ensuring young artists are
- not just present in Bloomington's art ecosystem, but actively shaping it alongside adults.
- Thank you for your time and for supporting opportunities that allow young people to participate as creators,
- collaborators, and leaders. Thank you. Hello, my name is Lynn Card and this is Beth Krause and we're
- from Monroe County CASA.
- Thank you so much for the opportunity for us to present to you tonight. Both Beth and I have completed
- the Trainers Program of Stop It Now, which is to deliver to the community the Circle of Safety Program.
- As reflected in the grant, Stop It Now is a national leader in sexual abuse prevention. The Circles
- of Safety Program is evidence-based and empowers participants as active agents
- in prevention by giving them skills to identify risks and build skills to protect children before harm
- occurs. For those of us at CASA, we see the backend of the trauma from sexual abuse and the major impact
- on the kids and the families. We get the fact as our trained and supported volunteers are representing
- the best interests of the kids from our community that are now involved with the Department of Child
- Services. Our work is to make sure kids are getting to safe
- permanent homes as quickly as possible, whether that be back with family or in another setting. What
- we hope to do going forward is lend hand to this community to prevent kids from becoming victims of
- sexual abuse and to build a safe, protective community. Circles of Safety Training is an intensive six
- hours of programming designed to build skills and improve protective factors in our community. Our program
- also utilizes pre and post training testing
- to ensure that learning is happening and that we can truly gauge this change. We addressed some stats
- in our application, but would also like to share that nationally, 28% of teenagers are victims of sex
- abuse, either in person or online. If you consider that Monroe County has approximately 10,000 kids
- of teenage years, that would mean 2,800 of our children are victims. Already in 2026, there have been
- 60 reports of child sex
- abuse in Monroe County, with seven of those reports having enough evidence to support substantiations.
- We are asking in the amount of $2522 and 94 cents in order to deliver programming to recognize risks,
- respond effectively and protect children.
- We have somebody from Girls Rock. Okay. Reset the timer, please. Great. Hi, I'm Carrie Albright. I'm
- the outreach coordinator and volunteer for Girls Rock Bloomington.
- The mission of Girls Rock Bloomington is to empower girls, transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive
- youth through music education, after school programming, workshops, an annual summer camp, and positive
- mentorship. In real terms, GRB is a safe, creative space for young people to find comfort through music,
- collaboration, and self-expression.
- Bloomington's long been known as a mecca for creators. From the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival
- and various ongoing performance series and venues to a number of recording studios and record labels
- rooted in our community, we know Monroe County serves and supports the magic that comes with musical
- creativity. Girls Rock Bloomington offers a unique opportunity within this umbrella in that not only
- does it specifically serve young people, and we're talking third graders, middle schoolers, even some
- high school age youth,
- but it's built around the understanding that historically, opportunities have not been offered equally
- to everyone. Through GRB, campers experience creative expression, acceptance, and encouragement, and
- growth in a safe and inclusive environment that welcomes all underserved identities. Through our BIPOC
- Community Fund, no questions asked opportunities are available to youth who've been historically
- underrepresented or under supported.
- The role of music in our nonprofit is an intentional central focus. According to the American Psychiatric
- Association, music supports emotional regulation and expression, stress and anxiety reduction, self-discovery
- and identity, and social connection and belonging. And as our society continues to navigate the mental
- health crisis, Girls Rock offers programming intentionally built for girls and trans, non-binary, and
- gender expansive youth to participate in activities geared towards strengthening their own well-being.
- According to the Trevor Project, LGBTQ youth representing depressive symptoms climbed from 48% in 2023
- to 54% in 2025. During that same period, suicidal ideation in LGBTQ plus youth grew from 41% to 47%.
- Transgender and non-binary youth reported the poorest mental health outcomes and represented the highest
- risk for suicide.
- mental health support must be a community level effort. Girls Rock takes this role very seriously and
- demonstrates our commitment to this issue through our programs. In the last five years, we've doubled
- from a summer camp of 25 campers to over 50 for this upcoming summer. The GRB community keeps growing.
- As we watch campers age out of the program, we see them leaving with renewed and reinforced senses of
- self and possibility.
- Girls Rock is more than just an opportunity for young people to make music together. Yes, it is that.
- But at its core, Girls Rock is a community, a space, a safe place where you're accepted and celebrated,
- however and whoever you are. Thank you so much. Thank you.
- followed by the Chamber of Commerce. I'm not certain if Pathways is here, but if Pathways isn't, then
- it's First Christian Church. Then we'll wait for the timer to restart. All right. Thank you, Sylvia
- Travis Committee, for your consideration and all the impactful community initiatives.
- throughout Monroe County that you support. I'm Christopher Emgy from the Greater Bloomington Chamber
- of Commerce Foundation, our successful program or the feel good portion of the chamber. The success
- school serves as a bridge between the business community and K-12 local education agencies, creating
- real world learning opportunities that help students understand careers, workplace expectations,
- opportunities available right here in Monroe County.
- Today, this success school facilitates 33 programs events annually, more than 4,300 student interactions,
- engagement with over 600 volunteers from the business community, and we partner directly with both MCCSC
- and RBB. Career Cruise has become the culmination of all the work that the success school does. Throughout
- the school year, students are exposed to entrepreneurship, financial literacy, soft skills,
- career awareness, workplace learning opportunities. The Career Cruise brings all of those together in
- one large-scale hands-on experience with over 50 local businesses interacting with approximately 1,200
- students in seventh and eighth grade from across the county. What makes Career Cruise unique is it's
- not passive seminar or a lecture. Students rotate through a theme to port the call with their passport in hand
- engaging directly with employers through a guided conversation, hands-on activities that make career
- exploration approachable and memorable. The event also creates meaningful value for participating businesses
- and volunteers. They look forward to this every year. Employers consistently tell us that they enjoy
- the opportunity to engage with students at this age level. It strengthens their connections to the community,
- reinforces pride in the workplace.
- creates a meaningful employee volunteer experience and supports morale and retention within the workplace.
- Now, recent changes within Indiana's diploma requirements place a much larger emphasis on work-based
- learning, internships, apprenticeships, and Career Connect experience. The Career Crew serves as a part
- of that continuum as an opportunity for that early entry port to the pipeline, helping students understand
- the opportunities available to them before they start making big
- decisions with high school pathways and future careers. Now the $4,000 Sophia Travis grant helps us
- continue scaling this effort by supporting infrastructure needed to host an event this large of magnitude.
- This includes venue costs, event setup, student engagement materials, immersive learning environment
- to get that seafaring look that we all like and helps make that experience effective and memorable.
- Most importantly, career crews reinforces message we believe is critical to Monroe County's future.
- meaningful careers are here. There are opportunities here. There is a future here for young people in
- our community to stay or if they do leave to come back. So thank you for your consideration and continued
- support for youth enrichment opportunities in Monroe County.
- Good evening. I'm Katie Broadfoot. I'm the executive director at Pathways. I wanted to thank you for
- the opportunity to share more about Pathways and our My First Library program. And I know you've seen
- our application, so you know that our request is for books for this My First Library program.
- I want to use this time to acknowledge something really important, and that is that while this program
- is centered on books and early literacy, what I'm really talking about tonight is something a lot bigger
- than that. I'm talking about how opportunity begins.
- At Pathways, we serve families who are doing a lot of things right. They're working. They're showing
- up. They're trying to build stable lives. But a lot of them are caught in that weird income range in
- between where social services cut off and true self-sufficiency begins. And for many of the children
- that are in our care, access to books is not a given. It's not a small gap either. It's a foundational
- one. And that's where my first library comes in.
- Each month, a child at our Compass Early Learning Center doesn't just receive a book. They experience
- someone sitting down with them to read that book to them, to show them that stories matter, that they
- matter. And then they get to take that book home, often becoming one of the only books in that entire
- household. What happens next, though, is where the real impact is. The book becomes a nightly routine
- for that family.
- It becomes a moment of connection between child and parent. And it becomes practice of language, of
- vocabulary, of imagination. All of those things compound and build quietly over time. And those small,
- consistent moments, that is exactly what research and experience tells us lead to things like school
- readiness, confidence, and long-term success. And I want to be clear about something else, too.
- Pathways as an organization is deeply aligned with the priorities that this committee cares about, even
- though this request seems like it's just about books.
- Every day through the Compass Early Learning Center and our Family Resource Center, we are advancing
- early learning, we're strengthening families, and we're supporting long-term economic mobility for local
- families. My first library is how we go further with that. It's not the only thing we do, and in fact,
- it's just a small thing that we do, but it's one of the many ways that we're ensuring we're not just
- meeting basic standards, we're creating a meaningful, lasting impact.
- For the past three years, this program has been sustained through partnership and generosity, but as
- costs have risen, we've reached a point where continuing at the same level requires additional support,
- and that is what our request is for, to be able to continue and sustain at the quality level that we
- believe is very important for our children. Thank you. Thank you.
- Hi there. My name is Matt Gargiulo and I serve as an associate pastor at First Christian Church Disciples
- of Christ.
- For two centuries, First Christian Church has served as a welcoming presence at the corner of Kirkwood
- and Washington downtown Bloomington. Our location right by the Monroe County Public Library downtown
- is in many unhoused neighbors, places us, we believe, right at the center of the community's response
- to homelessness, food insecurity, and social isolation. We have a weekly welcome table breakfast every
- Sunday morning from eight to nine thirty in the morning. We believe that it is one of the most consistent
- ministries that we have
- and appreciate your partnership in the past and ask for that again to provide dependable nourishment
- during a time on Sunday mornings when few other food resources are available. Every Sunday morning at
- First Christian Church we welcome between 100 and 125 neighbors, most of whom are unhoused and experiencing
- a combination of food insecurity,
- to the welcome table breakfast in our Great Hall. And the meal meets the immediate physical needs while
- offering hospitality, compassion, and connections to community resources. And we have a team of up to
- 30 volunteers on a rotation that prepare and serve a free breakfast. It's a simple continental breakfast
- with milk, juice, cereal, fruit,
- coffee, and hard-boiled eggs as our protein source. And many guests arrive carrying their belongings
- after sleeping outside or in temporary shelter. Others are seniors on fixed incomes or individuals that
- live on this economic margins or just neighbors navigating mental health challenges. Often it's a combination
- of all of the above. Regardless of the circumstance, every person is welcomed with dignity and warmth.
- we want to make sure that that is true. Because we've learned that many of our neighbors do not have
- other options for meal programs on Sundays, we also have added to-go lunch sacks that have a simple
- sandwich that ensure guests have food for the remainder of the day. And we believe that the Sophia Travis
- Community Services Grant aligns directly with the Welcome Tables focus on food security, nutrition,
- and shelter and health. Rising grocery costs and increased community need, we've had up to 180 in the
- past year.
- on a given week, really on top of the increased grocery costs for our protein source in particular,
- really require more financial resources at a time that also our number of guests continue to grow. So
- a grant of 7,500 will support the purchase of these core food items on a weekly basis that make up the
- majority of what we do. Support from the Sophia Travis Community Services Grant, it strengthens our
- ability to continue to be this reliable
- neighbors and presence in our community. It ensures that hundreds of Bloomington residents and many
- facing daily uncertainty can rely Sunday mornings continue to be a place that they're fed, respected
- and reminded that they're not alone and appreciate your opportunity to partner to provide that welcoming
- presence for our neighbors. Thank you.
- Good evening. My name is Devin May. I am one of the founders and executive directors of Blooming Arts
- Theater Company. And I thank you for the opportunity to share our mission today. Blooming Arts was created
- to inspire and empower the next generation of performers through exceptional pre-professional musical
- theater training and performance opportunities for youth in the greater Bloomington area. Our mission
- is to give passionate young performers the kind of rigorous,
- collaborative and creative challenging experiences that prepare them not only for college theater programs
- and professional careers, but for all aspects in life. Through theater, students build confidence,
- discipline, leadership, empathy, and the ability to work as part of a team.
- We launched our first programming in June of 2025 at the IU Theater building with a workshop called
- Ace the Audition. Students learned foundational audition skills, received professional headshots, and
- participated in master classes with industry professionals. We followed that up with Curtains Up Broadway
- Bound Cabaret, an immersive week-long
- intensive that culminated in a public performance. Last fall we coached two local high schoolers through
- their college auditions and both were accepted into highly competitive musical theater BFA programs.
- This summer marks an exciting milestone for us as we produce our first fully staged musical, Once Upon
- a Mattress, at the Buskirk Chumlee Theater. Students aged 13 through 19 will participate in a four week
- conservatory style rehearsal process, led entirely by professional directors, choreographers, designers,
- music directors, and stage managers with decades of industry experience. What makes Blooming Arts special
- is our commitment to accessibility.
- While our programs are tuition-based, every student who requests scholarship assistance receives it.
- For this summer's production alone, we have provided over $3,500 in scholarship support because we believe
- financial circumstances should not prevent young artists from pursuing their passions. Donors and sponsors
- play a critical role in making that commitment possible. Every individual donor is acknowledged in our
- printed program. Major donors and grant funders are recognized in curtain speeches at each performance
- and receive complimentary tickets to the production. We want our supporters to know that they are truly part
- of the impact that these students are experiencing. Blooming Arts is about more than just putting on
- a show, it's about creating a space where young people feel challenged, supported, and inspired, where
- they can discover their artistic voices, develop professional skills, and experience the transformative
- power of the arts. Thank you very much for your consideration. Have a good evening. You too, thank you.
- Hello, everyone. My name is Teresa Kang. I'm the president of Pathways to Class Cultural Understanding,
- an organization dedicated to promoting class cultural awareness through education and community engagement.
- We provide mentoring workshops, cultural programs, and conferences that help students, educators,
- and communities develop intercultural understanding and meaningful global connections. Today, I'm excited
- to introduce Breaching Borders, a visual dialogue on global youth perspectives, a two-day exhibition
- and workshop program to be hosted at Molo County History Center in December. The exhibition will
- showcase student-created artwork, writing, and multimedia project from both the United States and South
- Korea. These work will explore themes such as identity, shared humanity, and historical understanding.
- Beyond viewing the exhibition, participants will engage in interactive guided
- tangible activities that encourage reflection on cultural similarities and differences, while helping
- them connect global perspectives to their own lived experiences. Funding for this project will primarily
- support exhibition materials facility and equipment renters.
- present and travel expenses. Through both in person and virtual participation, we expect to reach more
- than 100 students, educators, and community members. This initiative supports youth development
- by strengthening critical thinking where
- young people can better understand and appreciate comprehensive perspectives in our interconnected world.
- We would greatly appreciate your support in helping bring this meaningful educational experience to
- our community. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you.
- My name is Heather Bland and I'm the executive director of New Leaf New Life. Thank you so much for
- your time and consideration. And it's also an honor to be here with other people who are doing work
- in our community. Something that I love about New Leaf New Life is we have so many community partners
- working together to resolve the issues that are happening in our community and in Monroe County.
- We are seeking funding for rent support and transportation for our mentees. We saw 3443 mentees. Our
- mentees are people who are coming from incarceration, who are coming from substance use treatment, suffering
- from mental health challenges, or have recently become unhoused. We collaborate with other agencies,
- but what we're seeking is rent support to help people get connected with sober living.
- We were able to assist 140 community members with sober living last year. And just to give a little
- context, in the state of Indiana in 2025, the recidivism rate was 38%. That's up 16% since 2022. Mentees
- in our program, for the last year who have gained housing support from us, the recidivism rate is 5.97.
- For mentees in our program that have taken part in our resource coordination, such as getting jobs,
- transportation, the percentage in April was 12.6%. The amount of people we're serving is increasing,
- and the recidivism rate for our program is decreasing. So that means what we're doing is working. With
- the rising crises in our community with now criminalization of being unhoused in July,
- and uncertainty with what is going to happen with those folks that are in the jail right now, it is
- crucial that we are able to continue doing what we're doing. This first quarter, we have met almost
- two thirds of the amount of mentees that we met in the entire year last year. I'm gonna share a quick
- story. A woman who was incarcerated, she had nothing left but the breath in her lungs and some hope
- for something different.
- Someone asked her, what would you do if there were no barriers in your life? And she said, help people.
- When she was released, she was released to an agency in Bloomington. She got help through New Leaf New
- Life. Services were coordinated. And eight years later, I stand in front of you as the executive director
- of New Leaf New Life. These programs do work. Thank you for your time.
- supposed to make us cry up here just FYI please okay um all right um anybody from girls ain't nope okay
- um next up we got oh i'm so sorry okay oh okay so no with girls need we got middle way house coming
- up next and who's your speed in the hungry after that
- All right. Hi, I'm Megan Betts, CEO at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, and one of the partners benefiting
- from this collaborative proposal. I'm thankful to be here with so many groups who will be receiving
- CPR training. I'm sorry. Who did you say you were with? I'm with a collaborative proposal that Middle
- Way House put forward. They couldn't be here, so I'm presenting a couple of times tonight. So I'm sorry
- to interrupt. No, that's OK. So is this the Middle Way House collaborative for CPR training?
- Yeah. It's number 14. Number 14. All right. I'm just making sure. Who is the bond? And I'm not like,
- wait. It's OK. Sorry. Can we get her to her timer to restart, please? I apologize. You're OK.
- You're OK. OK. All right. Hi. I'm president at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard and one of the partners benefiting
- from this collaborative proposal.
- I'm thankful to be here with so many of the groups who would be receiving CPR training alongside us
- so that we can build a safer community together.
- Most nonprofit organizations cannot afford to have a CPR instructor on staff or pay to maintain employees
- certification Yet those we serve are often those who with the most significant and complex health needs
- This collaborative effort ensures that 10 local nonprofits will have training space and courses that
- no single agency could maintain on their own removes costs as a barrier to say removing cost as a barrier
- to safety and community health and
- CPR B-Town will provide American Heart Association certified CPR and first aid courses to staff and
- volunteers at the following organizations. And with this house, Bloomington Creative Glass
- Center, Bloomington Montessori School, Lotus, Middleway House, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, PALS, or Person
- and Animal Learning Services, Tandem, Wonder Lab, and Windfall Dancers.
- Each of these agencies plays a vital role in our community, collectively reaching over 50,000 people
- in Monroe County. By providing this training, you'll help organizations protect their staff, volunteers
- and communities each day. I can speak from experience, having been trained through this program twice
- and having used those skills in our pantry. When a loose dog bit two of our staff, they were able to
- follow steps to sterilize wounds and get to urgent care.
- When a shopper fell in our parking lot, I was able to gather the appropriate supplies, dispatch other
- team members to get help and mitigate a bleeding wound without elevating stress. We are better able
- to care for each other because of this collaboration. With your support through the Sophia Travis Community
- Service Grant, we can ensure that every organization has access to life saving education and that no
- nonprofit in Monroe County has to choose between funding its mission and keeping its people safe.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Hi, my name is Susie Jordan. I'm the executive director at Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. Our offices
- are based in DeKalb County, but this partnership and the collaboration that we have applied along with
- the Monroe 4-H Fair and their program is purely Monroe County, which we're very proud of. Our organization
- has a presence in over 58 counties.
- but in the past three years since I have taken over, the collaboration with the 4-H fair here in Monroe
- County is continuing to grow and prosper. Four of our partners are going to be presenting to you in
- some form tonight. Those are the recipient agencies of the work, excuse me, of the 4-H members and the
- livestock that they have taken from very small to no market weight and are now donating
- those animals in for members of your community to have meat protein. So how this works is when the kids
- have their fair on July 4th as we're celebrating 250 years, these kids are involved from the start day
- in and day out to raise their animals where their cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, those are all then purchased
- for the recipient
- child's fund, but then the businesses that purchase those animals can donate them right back in. Our
- organization will collaborate with the Sophia Travis award to make sure that those animals are
- harvested through rice processing, which is a Monroe County-owned business, even though it's not in
- your county. And then that meat will be processed and then given right back to organizations that serve
- the various needs, whether it's a food pantry, a meal program, people who are just getting
- out of incarceration, possibly someone who needs meals, gets their,
- produce and things from the food pantries, but that meat protein is missing. So the children and the
- families in your own community are producing livestock that will feed your neighbors in need. So this
- is truly our tagline, which is from farm and field to freezer and fork. Our grant request is for $15,000.
- That is a very large request.
- But for that, over 30,000 meals will be available, whether it's with pasta, a hamburger, a chili, spaghetti,
- all those things we love to have with meat protein. Tonight, together, we can make that happen.
- Thank you. Thank you. Do we have anybody here from Community Kitchen?
- Okay, and then I think I saw Marilyn from courage to change Hello, I'm Marilyn the co-founder executive
- director of courage to change sober living We are thank you for letting us be a part
- We are asking for two different individual things within one grant. The first is welcome home backpacks.
- These kits include a backpack, hygiene supplies, towels, sheets, pillows, and a phone charger. The items
- when first moving into our residence and take these items with them when they graduate.
- These items are the most requested by residents when moving into our homes and help to make our folks
- feel welcome and provide comfort. Meet immediate needs and feel supported by Courage to Change. They
- promote personal wellness and foster healthy habits, which are very critical. Something as simple as
- a welcome home kit when first coming to Courage to Change can make a huge difference.
- Welcome home kids, which may seem like a small thing to many, makes a big impact on our residents. Many
- of who come to us and their items are in trash bags or they have nothing at all. So it really helps
- them as far as living in comfort. The other thing we're asking for is drug tests. We are certified by
- the Indiana Affiliation of Recovery Residences
- And not only is drug testing of our residents a requirement of INARR, but also a requirement of courage
- to change for residents who choose to live in sober living environments. Our case managers administer
- random drug testing to each in our houses. Sober living houses promote recovery by providing structure,
- accountability, and recovery support services.
- So random drug screens are a part of this process and a very important part. Thank you very much for
- your time. Thank you. Anybody from harmony. Okay.
- I'm Wes Sturtevant, and I'm a teacher in the high school at Harmony. I teach media arts. At one of our
- school performances last year, a mostly non-verbal student stepped onto our stage and performed a song
- from the musical Chicago. And it brought down the house. It was an amazing performance. But what was
- even more powerful for a lot of us in the audience was that many of the people in that audience, including
- the students' classmates
- and faculty at the school had never heard this student's voice, either singing or speaking. The performance
- space at Harmony gives every student a place to step up, take the stage, and have their voice be heard.
- Harmony's been an independent, not-for-profit, K through 12 school in Bloomington since 1974. Over 76%
- of our students live right here in Monroe County.
- 45% qualify for free or reduced lunch. But our performance space aren't just for students. They're shared
- community infrastructure. In the past year, community groups have used Harmony for more than 350 events.
- We're asking the Sophia Travis Grant Committee to help us complete an audio system upgrade that we've
- already begun. In the past year, Harmony has invested in new microphones and a modern mixing console.
- What we need to finish the project is amplified speakers, monitors, and an iPad that sort of acts as
- a brain and controls the whole thing. This would be a one-time capital investment of about $8,170. It's
- not needing ongoing operational support, and it would leverage your dollars in three ways. Harmony provides
- the venue, the utilities, and the staff. I'm training the students to use the audio gear and the equipment,
- which then will serve the school
- and community events in the space for years to come. Again, that's 20 Harmony events, but over 350 on
- average community events a year. And it alleviates the cost that our community partners currently absorb
- when they want to hold an event at Harmony. A recent example, on May 3rd, WFHB hosted its 50th anniversary
- concert in our gym. But they had to arrange for their own sound equipment because ours wasn't
- up to the standards that were needed. And this is one of the gaps that this grant could close in our
- community. Live performance, especially music, is a part of the fabric of Monroe County. Harmony's long
- been a part of that. You may remember Rhinos, the beloved all-ages music club from the 90s. I know I
- certainly do. Rhinos gave a generation of Bloomington youth, including me, some of our first live music
- experiences. There's audience members, production crew members, and performers.
- And there are live performance venues in town, but very few that aren't 21 and up. With your support,
- Harmony can keep the tradition of live performance going for the next generation of Monroe County youth.
- Thanks. Thank you. How's that?
- Hi, everybody. My name is Adam Hamill. I'm the director of community engagement at Stone Belt, where
- it is our mission and partnership with the community to prepare, empower, and support adults
- with developmental disabilities and their families to participate fully in the life of the community.
- Stone Belt started in 1959 before children with disabilities were afforded a free and public education.
- That was nine families who were just trying to do something better for their children than what was
- currently being offered, which was either institutionalization or
- having to stay at home. Now we provide supports to over 1300 people throughout south central Indiana
- and have about 450 staff through Bedford, Columbus and Bloomington. Around 350 of those staff members
- reside and work here in Bloomington and while day to day we are helping people to build individual living
- skills, we also have to focus on the health and safety of the individuals we support.
- Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience significantly higher rates of
- chronic health conditions, including epilepsy, respiratory issues, cardiovascular conditions, and mobility
- limitations than those who are neurotypical. Many also have communication challenges that make it difficult
- to report symptoms or seek help during a medical crisis. As a result, emergencies such as choking, seizures,
- cardiac events, or injuries can quickly escalate without immediate and properly
- intervention. Direct support professionals or DSPs are often the first and in many cases the only responders
- in these situations. At Stone Belt, staff provide care in homes, workplaces, community settings where
- emergency medical services may not be immediately available. The ability of staff to recognize symptoms,
- respond quickly and administer CPR or first aid is critical to preventing serious injury or loss of life.
- The state of Indiana requires CPR and first aid certification for all Stone Belt staff. While Stone
- Belt is funded primarily through Medicaid reimbursement, about 95% of our funding comes from that. All
- that is for direct reimbursement of support services that we are providing that then goes back to paying
- our staff. We do not get reimbursed for any training and we have to use the funding that we have to
- provide that training and purchase the certification and the equipment in order to provide that.
- So without external funding, these necessary expenses must be absorbed by the organization, placing
- strain on limited resources intended for direct supports. The initiative that we are requesting from
- the Sophia Travis Grant Commission is to address that gap by ensuring that all new staff are properly
- trained before working directly with the individuals they will support and that current trained and
- current staff maintain their American Heart Association first aid CPR certification.
- Thank you very much. Thank you council members for your time tonight. I'm Jason Anderson. I'm the executive
- editor of limestone post magazine. This is Emily Reynolds and Noel her husky Schneider our marketing
- and development team.
- Limestone Media publishes Limestone Post, which is an independent nonprofit magazine and an organization
- created to inform residents in Bloomington and the surrounding communities about the interests and concerns
- that affect them. Our mission is to serve our community through thoughtful, in-depth journalism and
- cultural storytelling, thereby helping readers to understand the issues shaping our region and the solutions
- emerging to address them. We are committed to journalistic integrity, transparency, and literary excellence.
- Our motto is to inform, engage, and inspire. Our contributors are local writers, photographers, and
- videographers who represent and reveal our community's ethnic, social, and cultural diversity. And all
- of our content is free online forever at limestonepost.org. Over the 12 months
- 12-month grant period Limestone Post proposes to research, write, and publish four in-depth articles
- about how the actions of Monroe County's government, businesses, and citizens are impacting our environment,
- both locally and globally. The purpose of these articles is to inform local citizens about the issues
- our community is facing with regard to climate change, to showcase what's being done about these issues,
- and to encourage greater citizen participation in the process as the impact of climate change becomes
- more significant over time.
- We're requesting $1,400 in funding from this community service grant to produce four stories. Two of
- these stories will focus on local eco-villages, intentional communities, organic gardens, places like
- the FarmStop, Bethel Lane FarmStop, and the FarmStop that facilitate local commerce and sustainable
- practices with environmentally friendly models.
- Another story will focus on climate change issues in Monroe County, placed within a state, national,
- and even global context. We will explore climate change planning within and throughout Monroe County,
- measuring effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gases, which met the 2025 goal of reduction by 28%, and
- identifying initiatives and strategies implemented by local governments, businesses, and citizens.
- And lastly, the final story,
- We'll be sharing three to five examples of projects or activities that government, businesses or individuals
- are doing to mitigate the impact of climate change locally, including farmer assistance programs, improving
- stormwater infrastructure, and extreme weather preparedness programs.
- Sorry, that threw me off. This article will describe what still needs to be done and highlight additional
- ways that government, businesses, and individuals can create a thriving, eco-friendly environment in
- Monroe County. Additionally, we will supplement the 1400 with funding from within to promote these stories
- on social media, in our newsletter, and in other media platforms. Thank you very much for your time.
- Good afternoon. Thank you for having me here today. My name is Wendy jerk Miller and I'm the grants
- and impact director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington. This year the club is requesting funding
- to support the provision of summer field trips and experiential learning opportunities for club members
- at the Ellisville Ferguson Cresmont and Lincoln Street clubs. The proposed project will benefit an estimated
- 225 youth ages five to 18 in Monroe County who will attend full day summer programming in 2026.
- Grant funds, if awarded, will go towards costs associated with outsourced transportation, fuel and vehicle
- maintenance, admission and ticket fees, staff support to maintain a smaller one to eight ratio while
- in the community, and water and healthy snack options while members are away from the club.
- Field trips are an essential component of the summer camp experience, offering the opportunity for members
- to get outdoors, explore their community, boost levels of confidence and independence, develop new skills,
- and participate in hands-on learning, which has been shown to improve future academic outcomes. In fact,
- research shows that students who participate in field trips have higher test scores, perform better
- in class, and have increased cultural consciousness over time.
- Field trips also bolster critical thinking skills by allowing students to touch, feel, and listen, which
- promotes higher levels of engagement and understanding of the topics being studied. Importantly, by
- offering experiential learning opportunities to summer camp attendees
- The Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington is able to help level the playing field by giving financially
- in need youth equal opportunities to experience things outside the classroom that their families may
- not be able to afford. This is in alignment with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America's national vision
- to ensure that who you are, where you come from, or the circumstances that surround you don't determine
- your access to experiences or opportunities.
- Certainly many of the families utilizing clubs for after school programs face significant barriers to
- accessing quality child care during the summer months. In 2025, over 500 households we serve reported
- annual incomes of $40,000 or less. Nearly 1100 members qualified for free or reduced price lunch and
- over 800 members lived in single parent households.
- In addition to this, a recent survey of Indiana families found that 88% of households consider child
- care to be too expensive and 35% cannot afford it at all.
- In an effort to keep the clubs as accessible as possible, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington charges
- a nominal $20 annual membership fee and offers scholarship options for families who cannot afford to
- pay the full cost of summer or break-date camps, including no-cost options for youth who reside in Section
- 8 households and for those participating in our summer learning labs programming. We anticipate that
- this initiative will positively contribute to our members' emotional well-being, their success as students
- and lifelong learners, and their overall enjoyment of the summer camp experience, giving working parents
- and caregivers the peace of mind
- associated with knowing their child has a safe place to play, learn, and grow when they need to be at
- their jobs or attend school. Thank you for investing in our local youth or your support of the Boys
- and Girls Clubs of Bloomington over the years and for your consideration of our request today.
- Thank you. Hello. My name is Darby.
- We are here with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Big Brothers Big Sisters is requesting support to bring our
- Big and Little Adventure Connected project to Monroe County. This is a $35,000 project that would expand
- our mentoring tool that we've already seen work successfully in Jefferson County through our Mentor
- Up initiative. This project includes an enhanced printed adventure book for Bigs and Littles, which
- we're passing around for you all to see.
- I dropped the pen, to use together during their first year, along with a digital companion that will
- support ongoing connection among youth mentors, caregivers, schools, and our staff. The book gives each
- match a shared starting point with guided activities, conversation prompts about school, friendships,
- feelings, goals, and everyday life. The digital companion adds secure check-ins, goal tracking, messaging,
- and stronger communication so we can support our youth more consistently.
- This matters because year to date, our agency has served 504 individuals through matches across our
- service region. But we currently have 200 individuals on our wait list. As the school year ends and
- summer begins, we expect enrollments and referrals to increase, which will likely grow that wait list
- even more. This project will help us better support our current and incoming participants by strengthening
- relationships, improving communication, and giving families clearer view of their child's mentoring
- experience.
- Overall, the budget will cover book refinement and production, app development, first-year hosting and
- maintenance, mentor and family training, and evaluation. Support from the grant would help us to fully
- launch this work in Monroe County and ensure our youth have access to these mentoring experiences that
- are intentional, connective, and supportive. I've brought Christina here, a member of our team, and
- she'll share a few words about her own experience as a big in our site-based program and how she believes
- this project could benefit our matches.
- Hi, I'm Christina Keller and I'm with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana. I started working
- for the agency in January of 2025 and not long after that I became a big. It's truly been one of the
- most meaningful things I've ever done. My little Ria, she's an only child and her father's often out
- of the country. So she's super energetic, she's fun, she loves doing crafts and she loves
- K-pop demon hunters, which I've learned way more about than I ever thought I would. I usually visit
- Rhea during my lunch break, and we get an hour together every week. That's why I'm real excited about
- this grant. This adventure book will give us guided activities.
- keep our time intentional, and just make the most out of our time together. So I believe it'll help
- deepen our connection and make every visit really count. So thank you so much for considering us for
- this grant. Thank you.
- Hello, my name is Sarah Wyatt Swanson and I'm here tonight representing the Auxiliary to the Boys and
- Girls Clubs of Bloomington. Thank you for having me. The Auxiliary to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington
- is a non-profit all-volunteer organization with a mission to help foster a safe and positive environment
- for local youth. The Auxiliary has been quietly working behind the scenes for over 50 years to make
- a difference in the lives of children and their families.
- Providing weekly meals at the Cresmont Club and supporting club events like Thanksgiving dinner,
- awards night, spring fling, and holiday market are on our annual agenda. According to Feeding America,
- one in five children in the US are going hungry. Research shows that children experiencing hunger are
- more likely to have trouble focusing and learning, have increased health issues, and are developmentally impacted.
- To help combat hunger in Bloomington, members of the auxiliary prepare and serve a hot meal every Friday
- of the school year to the children at the Steve and Connie Ferguson Crescent Club, which is the Bloomington
- Club with the highest number of families with a household income less than $40,000. Throughout 36 weeks,
- approximately 3,600 children go home impacted for the weekend by the Crescent special snack.
- Though it is referred to as a snack, we ensure it includes a hot protein and nutritious sides, including
- fresh fruits and vegetables. And we strive to provide enough food so that leftovers can be taken home
- by club members, 80 to 120 of whom are served every Friday after school.
- Each auxiliary volunteer is responsible for preparing and purchasing the food items that we serve. We
- allow $400 in reimbursement for each meal, but many volunteers spend their own money in order to relieve
- stress on our limited budget as food prices continue to increase. Our Lee Cresmont Special Snack provides
- reliable nutritional benefits to some of our most vulnerable young people.
- We are requesting $2,000, which would fund approximately five weeks of meals through the purchase of
- groceries, prepared foods, and serving supplies. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you.
- Hi, my name is Danielle Long and I'm the production manager and social media manager and a performer
- in Reimagining Opera for Kids, also known as ROC, which is a nonprofit community arts and education
- organization based in Bloomington, Indiana.
- We will be having our 20th anniversary this coming year. So since 2007, Rock has been introducing children
- in the Bloomington community to opera through engaging first experiences. Rock operas are specially
- commissioned, composed, and designed to appeal to young audiences and have been enthusiastically received
- in many of our area elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as public libraries, homeschool groups,
- hospitals, care facilities, and community centers. You name it, we've sung there.
- So we are asking the Sophia Travis Grant Commission to award $1,000 to help us with costs for our 2027
- production, which will all be in Spanish with English narration. It's a great way to introduce kids
- to live music performance and another language as well. There's a lot of dual curriculums in Spanish
- in the area, and we would like to help out with that. So re-imagining opera for kids.
- is very special to me personally as a professional opera singer. It has given me so much confidence.
- I suffered from extreme performance anxiety before I sang with this group. And once I started singing
- with this group, I realized there's no time to be scared when you're singing for 200 screaming children
- in a gymnasium. It's also incredibly special to see children realize what music can be for the very
- first time. We specialize in, well, all of our performances are free. They are all completely free because
- accessibility is our main tenant.
- And so we specialize in serving underserved rural populations. We've been to Monroe County, obviously
- here. But we've also been to Davies County, Shelby County, Owen County, Spencer County, and Orange County
- as well this year. We collaborate with the IU Center for Rural Engagement as well. So we really try
- to make sure we reach as many people as we can. We've reached about 7,000 students this year. And we've
- had 30 performances. Two years ago, we only had nine performances. So we're growing a lot. And we also
- only had about six
- performers two years ago and during my tenure we have grown our roster to 40 performers so and it's
- all volunteer based we are all giving our time for this but yeah it's just very special to see a child who
- otherwise might not have had access to any kind of classical music tradition or live music at all, realize
- what music can be when they sing and dance with us and when they hear something like a violin or a string
- bass play. And it's a great way to engage students who otherwise might not be engaged in school. I can't
- tell you the number of times I brought up a student who seemed uninterested and made them dance with
- me. And it sticks with them. They recognize all of us in grocery stores and libraries around the community.
- Anywhere we go, kids recognize us and they remember. So it's really impactful for them. And it's really
- special to see them start to love music for the first time. So thank you. Thank you. Do we have anybody
- that came in late from Catholic charities? OK, how about Center for Sustainability, Center for Sustainable Living?
- My name is Evie Barbeau, and today I'm here representing Partisan Gardens Greenhouse, which is a community
- high tunnel underneath the Center for Sustainable Living framework. So we are a high tunnel and growing
- space in the Waterman neighborhood, which is one of the historically underrepresented or underserved
- neighborhoods in Bloomington. It's where I live.
- And we are working on our third season of growing. All of our food that we produce is distributed for
- free, primarily in the neighborhood. We work with other organizations in the neighborhood. We work with
- our neighbors. So last year, we produced over hundreds of pounds of produce using socially and ecologically
- responsible practices.
- And we are 100% volunteer run. So this is an opportunity for folks who have a little bit more growing
- experience to come to the space, but also to bring in a lot of our neighbors and folks who don't have
- any experience growing their own food to learn how to cultivate the soil, grow food for themselves in
- their own neighborhood.
- One thing that's been incredible for me as someone who lives in the neighborhood and cultivate that
- space is the incredible demand of my neighbors every time I walk out like this spring, one of my neighbors,
- whether they're a kid or an older folk.
- come up to me and they're like, what are you growing this year? And I jot that down. I ask them what
- they want to see grown, and I make sure that we're growing plenty of that. So for a space that is very
- low income with no access to public space or green space, as well as high levels of food insecurity
- and many children and older folks with disability and mobility limitations, this space can be a space
- to gather, meet one another, and learn together.
- as well as cultivate food security and real food sovereignty from grassroots, true grassroots sources.
- So we are coming to Sophia Travis to request funding for two main projects that are focused on
- increasing accessibility to the space, as well as making sure that it is safe and healthy for everybody
- involved. So first is soil testing. Three years ago, we did some preliminary soil tests, but we're seeking
- funds for PCB testing because of proximity to potential contamination sites. We've been trying to mitigate
- that with bringing in soil, but
- We need help. It's cross prohibited to do that testing. And then second is installing safety features
- around the remnant basement on the site. So making sure that we can start bringing in more organizations,
- more folks, more young kids, making sure that that space is safe for them. So I'm really excited about what
- investing in these two specific projects will do for collaboration, bringing more people into the space
- and hosting cultural events and just having that beauty in that neighborhood, so thank you. Thank you.
- Have anybody from PALS? Lots of tall people here tonight.
- So my name is Christine Herring. I'm the executive director of PALS. And for many of you, I'm sure you
- heard last year we were hit by a devastating tornado. And I'm very pleased to announce we are one month
- away from opening our state of the art facility. It will increase accessibility and we'll be able to
- double the number of people we serve in the community. So I just wanted to share that.
- At PALS, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to discover their strengths,
- build confidence, and see a future of possibility. That belief is the foundation of Stable Futures,
- our new after-school workforce and skill development program.
- This program was created after identifying a critical need through our partnership with JD AI affiliated
- equipped programming, which is a youth program we have here in the county. We saw youth who needed more
- than supervision after school. They needed structure, mentorship, encouragement, and meaningful opportunities
- to succeed. We even have mentorships for youth interested in becoming instructors.
- Stable futures will serve Monroe County youth referred, these are high school students, referred by
- school counselors, particularly students facing academic, social, emotional, or engagement challenges.
- Three meetings each week, students will be transported to PALS for homework support, mentorship, and
- hands-on workforce experience in areas such as agriculture, equine care, education,
- business operations, and event planning. What makes this program unique is the environment. Through
- experiential learning alongside horses and caring adults, youth will build responsibility, communication
- skills, teamwork, confidence, and job readiness in a safe and supportive setting. Our goal is not to
- simply provide after-school care. Our goal is to help young people build a stable future for themselves.
- With a total pilot cost of just $7,500, this program has the potential to create lasting impact for
- approximately 30 Monroe County youth and their families. Thank you very much for your consideration.
- I'm Stephanie Shelton with Cancer Support Community. For those of you who don't know, we're a nonprofit
- that provides free support and resources to anyone impacted by cancer. I'd like to remind folks that
- this also includes family members, caregivers, friends, not just patients and survivors. So please tell
- everyone you know that we are here to help.
- One of the main things that I wanted to talk to you about today, in our application, we're requesting
- funds for what we call our Patient Assistance Fund. This is one of our most critical support programs,
- and it is direct, immediate financial assistance and relief in the categories of food and transportation,
- specifically for cancer patients who are in active treatment cycles and who qualify to meet 300% or
- below of federal poverty income.
- I'm sure we've all felt the impact of the increases in gas costs and food recently. I feel like I've
- been repeating this for the last two to three years. The point being, this is not going away. So as
- long as we can, we want to provide $150 of immediate gift cards in food or transportation per the patient's request.
- to help ease that burden so that they can get the healthy, nutritious food that they need and they can
- get back and forth to their treatments and other appointments and screenings and things like that during
- that most critical time of their health medical treatments.
- I think that we can all relate to someone who's had cancer and been through that. We do offer other
- programs such as counseling, support groups, nutrition and exercise classes, professional education
- presentations in partnership with physicians in the IU School of Medicine, and social connections.
- This immediate financial relief bridges that gap towards that healthy outcome. One of the things that
- has come up a lot lately in research is financial toxicity. This refers to patients who have to make
- decisions between getting their treatment and putting food on the table for their family or purchasing
- their medications for their treatments. So you're more likely to see patients who are
- stretching their medication out to make it last longer or skipping screenings and health appointments
- just to try to get by. This program helps ease that burden and solve some of those things for people,
- which then results in better actual health outcomes. So it's not just about that immediate, it's about
- the long-term gain too.
- I'd like to just end right there. If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to answer. But we're grateful
- for your consideration and any support that you're willing to offer. Thank you. Hello, everybody. My
- name is Wyatt Lawson. I'm the executive director of the Community Justice and Mitigation Center.
- or CGM. CGM just celebrated our 30 years in Monroe County this past year, so we've been serving in mediation
- services, restorative justice, and education in Monroe County for over 30 years, which is exciting.
- But at the ground basis of what we do is we deal in conflict. So we help folks through hard situations.
- We help folks learn how to handle conflict better, how to be mediators, and just kind of how to focus
- on building a more fair community that learns from hard situations instead of raises them.
- to things that can result in court time or loss or whatever that may be.
- In 2019, we started our work within the Eviction Prevention Project, which is a group of nonprofits
- in the court systems that help people who are facing a housing crisis kind of work through the court
- side of that. So we entered that in 2019 and are still participating in that program. And actually,
- about 80% of the clients that we see yearly are a landlord-tenant relationship. So it really is kind
- of the pinnacle of what we are doing. We're helping folks figure out a better way forward as they're
- facing some type of housing case.
- So last year, we served over 500 Monroe County residents through our eviction prevention work and our
- eviction mediation services. And people are often dealing with a lot of different things in that space.
- Housing stability being the first one, but it often results in a communication breakdown or something
- that's happened in their personal life that they're having a hard time navigating, whether resources
- or working with their specific landlords.
- Mediation or what we do within that space is anyone who is facing an initial eviction hearing gets the
- opportunity to do two very specific things before they talk to the judge. They get the opportunity to
- speak to a free legal lawyer attorney that provides free limited scope legal advice. And then they have
- the opportunity to mediate their case before it goes to the judge. And of course, that's when C jam
- kind of hops in. So for anyone facing that initial eviction,
- We get an opportunity to slow things down just a little bit and help them have a dialogue between their
- landlord and the tenant, ask questions about what's going on, what are some reasonable solutions moving
- forward, maybe what some of those barriers are.
- And what we tend to see is folks working on maybe it's past due rent and figuring out a way to pay that
- back in a timeline that works for their landlord, but also is realistic for them. Sometimes it means
- a voluntary vacate, which is them voluntarily leaving the unit that they're renting and avoids an eviction.
- So it makes things easier for them.
- At the pinnacle, it's just us slowing things down. And this grant specifically is gonna help us support
- the people who make that work happen, which is our volunteers. All of our mediations are served
- by volunteers, and this allows us to invest in not only the training, but the recruitment and retention
- of those volunteers. So whether that's speeding up that process or looking in other spaces. So I appreciate
- the opportunity to share that with you all this evening, and thank you for the consideration. Thank you.
- way down. Hi, I again am Megan Betts, CEO at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, also known as The Hub.
- Thank you, Council, for investing in social services in our community and for hearing from me twice
- this evening. The Hub is a community food resource center that increases access to nutritious food in
- ways that cultivate dignity, agency, and community.
- Well, I have often come to this room to seek support for components of our pantry program And while
- we are best known for operating among the largest pantries in our region I am here this evening requesting
- support for our program so that wrap around our pantry Ensuring that we are a place where individuals
- can build skills competence and relationships to thrive in community. I
- This year the hub is requesting just over eight thousand dollars that would be used to purchase supplies
- needed for our free kitchen programs These supplies include groceries team-building supplies like food
- themed games Spanish Spanish translation of our promotional materials and handouts and more glass mason
- jars than you would probably ever suspect and
- In 2025, our pantry served just under 117,000 duplicated individuals, a double digit increase
- over individuals served in 2024. While the number of individuals we serve rises, some things are constant.
- Our patrons are clear that they do not need to be taught how or what to eat. They are resource constrained
- in time and kitchen equipment, but often not in knowledge.
- They want to learn from each other in the kitchen to grow relationships, find joy, and play with new
- ideas and recipes. They are curious, enthusiastic eaters, and adventurous cooks. That is why so many
- of our workshops are taught by members of our community.
- Each month we host at least four free hands-on educational workshops in our kitchen classroom. Topics
- are identified by community members as they share what they would like to learn or what skills they
- have to contribute. We enjoy a range of one-off workshops like cake pops, easy casseroles, and Venezuelan
- empanadas, but also a series of workshops like Wanda's introduction to southern cooking,
- So far, Wanda has taught us things like corn pwn, hot water cornbread, and homemade barbecue sauce.
- Our most popular recurring series are workshops on canning, food preservation, and fermentation, which
- takes the form of sourdough, or kombucha, or yogurt.
- We're thankful that separate funding enables us to pay our educators $100 per 90-minute workshop. Your
- support would ensure these workshops are stocked with adequate supplies for all individuals to join
- in and the supplies for them to take home starter to continue making their own yogurt, sourdough,
- or kombucha. Thank you for working with us to build community food security and for doing it in a way
- that equally cultivates joy and connection. Have a good night. Thank you.
- Good evening. My name is Gina Lovell. I'm the administrative director for Amethyst House, a Bloomington-based
- nonprofit agency that serves individuals with substance abuse disorders. And we've been in the community
- since 1980. Our services include residential and outpatient treatment, emphasizing a foundation towards recovery.
- We have two residential locations here in Monroe County, one for men and one for women. This year we
- are requesting 8,000, which will cover 15% of our residential food budget for both houses. We provide
- three meals a day for up to 31 residents at any one time, 365 days a year.
- meals are a cornerstone of recovery, enhancing both mental and physical health. Every resident in our
- care receives three healthy meals each day during their 90-day stay, ensuring that they can focus on
- healing without the stress of food insecurity. The current daily average costs is $81 for the men's house
- and 60 at the women's house for a total of $141 per day. This is approximately 5% increase from last
- year's costs. Like many of us in Monroe County, we have felt firsthand how the dollar doesn't go as
- far in the grocery store these days. We receive additional supplements from our friends at Hoosier Hills
- Food Bank and funding from the Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
- The requested cost of $8,000 will stabilize our budget during this period of rising costs. Our goals
- align with the Sophia Travis Green's vision of health, food, nutrition, security, and shelter. We want
- the utmost quality for our residents to enrich Monroe County community members through a transitional
- period in their lives.
- Covering food costs through this grant will help us keep residential fees affordable while still providing
- the highest quality care and nourishment to those working hard to transform their lives. On behalf of
- Amethyst House, thank you for considering this request and supporting the wellbeing of our community
- members. Thank you.
- middle way pantry seven nine two seven nine I think us closet so sister's closet is up next
- Good evening. My name is Sandy Keller. I'm the executive director of my sister's closet in Monroe County.
- We provide resources and tools and training for women who are hoping to become more self-sufficient
- and eventually move out of poverty. To date we have served over 4,000 community residents and 85% of
- those women report that they've been able to find better employment with benefits while going through
- our program.
- such as our financial wellness programming that Sophia's Travis is invested in that has been very successful
- for us we are
- asking for funds to complete our security and safety system that will be at our new location at 1204
- West 2nd Street. We anticipate that we will start the renovation on this project in August of this year
- and we will use these funds to be able to complete the remaining things that we will need to have such
- as a motion detector system,
- doorbell where we can see who is on the other side. It will be a course in security, 24 months worth
- of monitoring services for the building, and also we will be replacing the commercial door locks that
- are on the building right now.
- base is going to be used by both women and their children and some of our workshops will be happening
- in the evening. This is extremely important for them to feel safe in our space. We have several people
- that come into our
- organization, not just as clients, which is generally about 250 a year, but we also have several volunteers
- over 450 a year and several community members that come in to use My Sister's Closet as an alternative
- to supplement their clothing resources and their professional clothing. In our application last year,
- we said that over
- 200 people who would be in the community besides our clients would be benefiting from this.
- but actually that was incorrect. Traffic studies are informing us that more than likely 38,000 people
- will come into our space in a given year. So a lot of people will be benefiting from the security system.
- My sister's closet is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be able to present tonight and for the
- funds that we've received from the Sophia Travis.
- grant in the past, and we're very grateful for your help. Thank you very much, and have a good evening.
- Thank you, you too. Okay, so next up is Bloomington Cooperative Living, followed by Wonder Lab. Hi there,
- my name is Annalise Kane, and I'm the membership coordinator from BCL. Let me just
- So BCL is a housing co-op in Bloomington with five houses with 75 units of housing. We are democratically
- owned, governed, and operated by our member residents. BCL focuses on communal living for low income
- residents. We are in the process of acquiring a new property which will add 10 additional units in the
- coming years.
- The City of Bloomington's consolidated plan showed that there is a gap of 7,000 housing units for household
- earnings, 0 to 50% AMI in Bloomington.
- BCL is a small but growing solution to Bloomington's housing affordability issues. Our model provides
- low income residents with dignity, autonomy, affordability, and social community. And this model is
- a permanent solution for deep affordability. BCL is outside of market forces and due to democratic control
- by members will never become unaffordable. So outreach in BCL.
- Thus far, BCL has conducted outreach via word of mouth, flyering, and tabling. These efforts have served
- us well as we have grown slowly over the years, but relying on these forms of outreach are not best
- practice. These forms of outreach limit us to adding new members from the social groups of the current
- membership of BCL. We know that this does not spread the word about housing opportunities at BCL amongst
- all low-income Bloomington residents, so we need to use forms of outreach that cut across social networks.
- Digital outreach can do just that by advertising cooperative housing to all low-income Bloomington residents.
- So BCL is requesting $1,500 in funding to purchase digital ads for the 27-28 member shipping season,
- which it would last from March to May of 2027.
- This funding would complement a request for funding from the City of Bloomington Jack Hopkins grant
- program, which if fully funded would provide $3,000 for digital advertisement management services and
- $3,500 for digital advertising. The $1,500 from Sophia Travis would increase the impact of the digital
- advertisements without increasing the cost in advertisement management services. These ads would inform
- residents of Monroe County that cooperative housing is an alternative that is affordable.
- This is a one-time ad spend, but it will have a lasting impact on the community and BCL. By filling
- rooms in BCL, this ad spend will increase BCL's internal labor capacity as well as our rental revenue.
- This increase in our resources can support further outreach in future years. The ad spend will also
- advertise cooperative housing as an alternative, connecting with the many other cooperative housing
- projects in Bloomington.
- due to BCL's collaborative nature, the impact of this ad spend can stretch beyond BCL itself and to
- other housing projects in the community. Thank you so much. Thank you. Good evening.
- My name is Leslie Kosenko, and I'm the director of philanthropy for Wonderlab. Thank you for the opportunity
- to speak in front of you tonight. I'd like to start with a story about a person who grew up through
- Wonderlab. Quote, I was a teenage volunteer when I was on the square in the early 2000s, and later joined
- as a member, as a parent, with my son when he was two. He ended up being a wonder camper, and now he
- hopes to be a herpetologist.
- We now have a crusted gecko that he adores. I've been bringing him to Wonder Lab even longer. He loves
- the Thanksgiving dinosaur events. My younger son, who has been a member since birth, grew up in Sprout's
- place. While this is a lovely story and it shows the impact of Wonder Lab, not every family can afford
- the luxury of attending Wonder Lab and paying the admission cost, and that's why I'm here to speak to
- you today. Wonder Lab is seeking support for social service visits,
- from, believe it or not, 11 of the people that spoke here tonight and 13 more social service agencies.
- We provide free admission and free group visits depending on what organization that you are. Not every
- family has the opportunity to
- come to wonder lab but as part of our connection to the community fund, which we call the CDC fund.
- This ensures that every single child that has can have access to wonder lab, regardless of your income,
- regardless of your background.
- We provide free group visits and a mission for qualifying, and we do have a strict qualifying process.
- It's whether you're on Medicaid, on SNAP, on free school lunch, there is a strict policy for how that
- we qualify these organizations. But in every case, the goal is the same, to make science accessible,
- welcoming, and meaningful for all. The request matters because access to informal STEM is not for every
- child. Not every child is receiving access
- to STEM. Many of the families served by local social service agencies are facing economic challenges.
- And some children growing up don't have the regular opportunities to explore science in engaging ways.
- We believe that this should not stand in the way of a child's chance to explore. So we are here until
- we financially cannot
- to provide camp scholarships and free access for people that deserve it. Wonderlab serves a community
- where the need is real and growing. In Monroe County, almost 15% of kids under the age of 18 live in
- poverty. The number is even higher for kids under age five. Wonderlab serves kids up to age 12, for
- the most part, with nearly 40% of Wonderlab's visitors and members saying that they visit our museum
- to supplement their STEM education.
- Now, this may not seem like a lot, but $9,000 actually serves almost 900 children. This is a huge amount
- of kids for Monroe County. We're also applying for the Jack Hopkins grant, and with both of these two
- grants, we can get to the total of $20,000 for kids to access WonderLab. Thank you. Thank you.
- Good evening, everyone. My name is Gavin Everett, and I am the CEO of Community Culture, a local nonprofit
- focused on improving food accessibility through community agriculture, partnerships, and volunteer-driven
- growing spaces. Over the past year, Community Culture has continued building partnerships with local
- organizations and nonprofits, including the Community Kitchen of Monroe County, Pantry 279, Mother Hubbard's
- Cupboard, to help grow
- and donate fresh produce directly back into our community. One of our largest projects is Bob's Garden,
- a 7,500 square foot donated garden space that is being developed into a long-term food oasis for Monroe
- County. Last year, with support from the Sophia Travis Community Service Grant Program, Community Culture
- was able to begin the foundational infrastructure for this site through the installation of raised garden
- beds. That investment helped us move this project from an idea into a functioning and growing community space.
- Since then, we've continued developing the site through volunteer work days, large-scale mulching and
- soil preparation, and expanded community involvement. We've had volunteers come together to help transform
- the property into a productive growing space that will support local food nonprofits for years to come.
- This year, we are seeking funding of $4,800 to help complete the next phase of development at Bob's
- Garden. The primary focus of this phase is the construction of an open-air educational shelter
- a rainwater collection system utilizing IBC water storage totes, and the development of a composting
- area to support long-term soil health and sustainability. This infrastructure serves several important
- purposes. The shelter will provide a gathering and educational space for volunteers and community members
- while also offering protection during work days and programming.
- The rainwater collection system will improve sustainability by reducing dependence on municipal water
- during the growing season. The composting area will help divert organic material from existing waste
- systems while creating nutrient-rich compost that can be returned directly back into the food production
- at the site. Together, these systems help create a more environmentally responsible and self-sustaining
- model for community agriculture.
- Importantly, this project continues to rely heavily on volunteer labor, donated materials, and community
- partnerships, allowing us to maximize the impact of every dollar received. The long-term goal of Bob's
- Garden is not simply to grow food, but to create a replicable model for community-supported agriculture
- that reduces barriers to fresh produce while strengthening local connections.
- Every improvement we make increases our ability to consistently grow and donate healthy food directly
- back into our community free of charge. We look to demonstrate how small-scale community agriculture
- can simultaneously support food access, environmental sustainability, and stronger local partnerships.
- We are incredibly grateful for the support this committee has already shown community culture.
- Your previous help turned an empty space into an active growing site, and the next phase helps us ensure
- the lasting community resource for many years to come. Thank you for your time and consideration.
- Thank you. Anybody from First Presbyterian Church? Oh, I see you walking.
- Hello my name is Dan Caldwell and this is Annette Briggs Hill and we are with the Bloomington Severe
- Winter Emergency Shelter which is a joint ministry of a number of downtown churches including First
- Presbyterian Church which is our sponsoring organization for this grant. Our mission is to provide a
- warm safe place to sleep for people who might not have any shelter during severe winter weather. We
- serve the most vulnerable members of our community.
- by being welcoming, compassionate, and treating every guest with dignity and respect. We are a low barrier
- shelter, yet we prioritize safety for our guests and our volunteers. While our main goal is providing
- shelter, we know that if we can make people more comfortable, they're more likely to use our shelter
- and less likely to risk sleeping in the cold. So we offer warm beverages, snacks, frequently warm meals.
- We always make sure to have plenty of cup of soup on hand.
- as well as warm winter gear, socks, hats, gloves, hand warmers, clean clothing, all for the purpose
- of keeping people safe so we can prevent cold weather injuries and death, which we have been successful
- in doing for the last two winters that we've been open.
- We as we're called is able to provide a safe and comfortable shelter experience for our guests at an
- extremely cost effective rate because we are a volunteer driven and donation supported organization.
- This past season we were able to open the shelter 57 nights when the weather got cold enough and that
- serves 34 guests each night.
- We served a total of 256 unique guests this past winter. We were able to do this because we had 230
- unique volunteers who volunteered around 4000 total hours this past winter. We also had two paid staff
- coordinators, but again 80% of all hours worked were volunteer hours.
- We were also able to do this because of the generosity of First Christian Church, First United Methodist
- Church, and First Presbyterian Church who donated their spaces. And Wheeler Mission was generous enough
- to donate laundry services. And this means that what would have otherwise cost over $60 per night per
- guest cost us around $11 per night per guest. And so Annette will take it from here.
- Just for our last minute I want to just emphasize that our entire financial budget is devoted to the
- purchase of supplies for and for paying to part-time workers who are trained in shelter supervision
- and they provide continuity of care to our guests and train support to our army army of volunteers.
- Our youngest volunteers are about 10 years old and the oldest are in their 80s
- They are church people, community members, IU professors, students, doctors, lawyers, and stay-at-home
- parents. Because of their dedication, again, as far as we know, nobody died of cold weather exposure
- in Bloomington over the last two years since we've been open. We consider it a privilege to be part
- of this lifesaving work, and we're here to ask for financial partnership in making that true for another
- winter season. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you.
- El Centro Humano. Thank you for having me today. Well, El Centro Humano Latino is a grassroots
- community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to serving Latino residents in Monroe County.
- The organization provides an accessible and culturally responsive space where community members, particularly
- Spanish-speaking individuals, can obtain information, access to critical resources, and participate
- in community events. El Centro also works to improve communication and collaboration between service
- providers and the Latino community.
- Of these efforts, the organization supports community integration, reduce barriers to services, and
- encourage meaningful civic engagement with the broader Bloomington and Monroe community. Latino residents
- in Monroe County face significant financial challenges driven by the rising cost of living, a lack of
- affordable housing, and inconsistent employment opportunities.
- Many jobs or most of jobs for our community are in food service, maintenance, cleaning, construction,
- and temporary labor. They are low paying and often depend on the academic calendar and seasonal workforce
- demands tied to the university. So this is gonna be a hard season for us, summer and all the breaks.
- Although most community members are hardworking and dependable,
- fluctuation in work hours and income make it difficult to consistently cover rent and utility costs.
- During periods of reduced employment, families are disproportionately affected, and many face eviction,
- utility shutoffs, and housing instability. These challenges place stress on our families, disrupt children's
- education, and limit opportunities for long-term economic advance. This grant
- will support a rental and utility system program designed to provide short-term financial relief to
- Latino households in Monroe County. Experience temporary economic hardship. One of the things that I
- really enjoy to hear was about the project of Wonderlab. That is one of the things that our community
- members or families miss to have access because they can't afford to pay for places like that. Now you have to,
- prioritize the rent, the utilities. Even when we can help a community with not a high amount, it's very
- helpful for our community to have just a partial payment of this rent. Thank you for having me here
- today and for consider our proposal for this grant. Thank you. Next up is Sabra Mesta.
- Good evening. Thank you to the Sophia Travis Grant Committee for the opportunity to speak with you tonight.
- My name is Robert Frew, and I represent the Sober Mesa Foundation and the Incubator Project at the new
- Daisy Garden Community Farm. Over the past several years, we have demonstrated that underutilized land
- can be transformed into productive farmland that nourishes
- both people and the community around us. We started Sober Mesa Farm in 2013, and what was once a pasture
- that was depleted is now actively producing thousands of pounds of healthy food for local families.
- We know how to build soil, grow food, organize volunteers, and create meaningful agricultural education.
- Now we're bringing that same experience and momentum to Daisy Garden Community Farm.
- This project is really more about growing vegetables and fruit. It's about creating pathways for people
- to learn practical skills, participate in the local food system, and contribute to their community in
- meaningful ways. Some of the same individuals and families who currently rely on food pantries are now
- learning how to grow food, preserve harvest, and participate in an act of reciprocity instead of dependency.
- Already we have tilled land, built raised beds, started ceilings, planted, and launched educational
- programming. We are teaching people skills that can support future employment, entrepreneurship, and
- food security. The equipment that we are requesting tonight in the grant will help us to take the next
- step in building a truly sustainable food project.
- Specifically, we are seeking support for commercial dehydrating and freeze-drying equipment, packaging
- supplies, a farm stand, tent, tables, chairs, and food preparation equipment. These tools will allow
- us to create shelf-stable value-added products from the produce we grow, reducing waste, extending food
- availability, and creating potential income streams
- for the project and the participating growers. This is about building something unique for the city
- of Bloomington, a farm incubator that combines agriculture, education, food preservation, entrepreneurship,
- and community engagement in one space.
- With your support, Daisy garden community farm can become a long term community asset that not only
- feeds people that teaches them how to feed themselves and others for years to come. Thank you for your
- time. Thank you. You have any ready for families?
- Hello, my name is Chase Teckenton. I'm working for families. I'll be your closer this evening and I'll
- be I'll be brief because I know your cup runneth over. As you all are aware, our community has a lack
- of affordable child care, a lack of affordable housing, put together families with children, especially
- children too young to be latchkey kids struggle to find decent affordable child care that lets them
- work enough hours to afford rent and the other things that their families need.
- Today in Monroe County, anywhere between 30 and 40% of the individuals who are experiencing homelessness,
- sleeping outside or in shelter are members of a household with children. And I think those two statistics
- speak to the way these two issues are intertwined. Families in our community need childcare so they
- can work and keep their housing. And when childcare is missing, we see people lose the other two, they
- lose their income and housing. Families in our overnight shelter do three simple things. They find childcare,
- they find income, and they move into a place to live.
- All year long, we address the need for child care for kids birth to five through our early learning
- center. But then every summer when school is out, we have a 10-week gap where families have an acute
- need for that child care. And by the time they get to shelter, they're going through a pretty big crisis.
- It's too late to enroll in the full-day camps that would provide the hours that they need, and people
- really struggle to afford
- to piece together or afford the other childcare options that are out there. That's why for five years,
- New Hope has hosted a free day-long summer camp for families in shelter who are working. Last year,
- one family came, dad worked nights, mom worked days. When summer came and school was out, they faced
- that hard choice. Could mom keep working or are they gonna lose half their income and stay in shelter
- longer? But they enrolled in summer camp. They moved out into a lease just a few weeks later
- Summer camp is pretty straightforward. We employ three staffers. They run camp Monday through Friday,
- 9 to 4.30. Children 6 to 17 can enroll. It's usually a little younger group. The teens are too cool
- for it. But kids get two meals a day and a snack to compensate for the gap in school lunch for the summer,
- which is a big boost for the families. And they spend the day.
- telling the counselors where they want to go next. We have great partners for these experiences, like
- Community Kitchen, providing food, Wonder Lab, as you already heard about, City Parks and Pools, all
- offering great experiences for kids all summer long. And Sophia Travis-Smones will cover the team leader's
- salary, as well as the food, admissions, supply costs for the camp, for the experiences that the campers
- are gonna have. The other two counselors are covered by a different private grant.
- Every year our community comes around and through the generosity of our whole community in our county
- They come around homelessness and child care with generosity and vision Thanks to that new hope houses
- more than 82 percent of families into leases Compared to a state average of just 32 percent and no child
- sleeps outside in our community. So thank you guys for your continued support Thank you That concludes
- all of our presentations. And I'm going to look to Michelle, because it looks like we have our scoring
- card sheets that are in front of us. So Michelle, what would you like to tell us about our scoring sheets?
- I just wanted to bring to your attention, we kind of revamped it a little bit, so there was some difficulties
- that we went through last year with the formula. So we have gone through, tweaked the information, and
- so you will, the beginning of this information is the same.
- the agency, the project. So what I want to bring your attention to is this section right here, it's
- the proposed committee awards. What I need for you to make sure is when you assign an amount, and we'll
- just do Councillor Crossley here, you can
- just type in, we're just gonna say $500. And then when you send that to us, we're going to put those
- amounts in. I just need you to know that if maybe Ms. Robertson might not want to give, don't leave
- it blank. It has to have at least a zero in it. And that is because
- When we go over here to this max and the minimum, the formula is set up to average over five totals,
- not four. So when you leave it blank, it's still out there looking for it. So I need that to be filled
- in. Also at the bottom, there was a problem with the formulas, and we've got that working out. So what
- you're looking for is
- Let's just say 190,000. You want to see a green dot down here. So you have used up that whole 190 and
- that it is green. If you overspend, so it's going to throw it. You've spent too much, you know.
- So just make sure that you're checking your bottom totals. I know that some people didn't complete the
- entire amount and then during the meeting, you know, you kind of tweaked your totals. But if you go
- ahead and assign an amount, even if it's a zero, then we can always tweak that during the live meeting.
- There was a lot of confusion with some of the rounding and things that happened last year. There was
- an additional formula within this. So we kind of removed that and then there was something funky going
- on here. So what we can do then is this is being averaged to the nearest $10. And so like if somebody
- puts in 230,
- you know, it's going to round it. So here the average is 243, 240. And if that's what the committee
- decides, we are going to input 240. So whatever the committee decides at the end is going to in this
- column here, the green column is what will be recommended to the. I think I've got all the formulas
- worked out and everything tweaked out for you. So, um,
- But if there's any questions, don't hesitate to give me or Lehua a call. Miss Katie here, this is your
- first time, so yeah, feel free to call if something, just kind of look. This is active, where can we
- access it? I sent each one of you an individual copy for you to use, and then we need this sent in to
- us. What was that date, Lehua? The 20th? Oh, I think.
- Yeah, I think it was the 21st. Yeah, so we need those by the 21st so that we can have all of that information
- for you by that council or by that meeting on the 29th. No, we're having a meeting.
- There's a committee meeting coming up. I just can't remember the date. And we will have all of that
- information together for you. And that's when we'll tweak this to how what you want recommended. Okay.
- Okay. Does anybody have any questions for Michelle? The meeting is the 29th at one o'clock.
- So that's all I needed. I just wanted to kind of quickly go over it. And then if anybody has any questions,
- give me a call. Check your email. You should have all that information in your email. OK. Does anybody
- have, before we adjourn, does any committee members have any questions or comments after? I'm excited
- again. Yeah. Great work. Yeah. I loved all the presentations. They were very informative, and it really
- helps. Yeah.
- Makes me proud to be living here. You know, I was sitting here thinking about like, I feel like we're
- back again in this lovely room because we were here last night. And so it's a stark contrast of last
- night. And honestly, like a couple of times, I kind of felt myself welling up just a little bit because
- of everything that's going on and what we think is going wrong.
- community members showed up tonight and showed us what is happening and what we are doing right. So
- I really appreciated that and I think I needed that for my soul today. So with that being said, I thank
- y'all so much. Thank you all for our community, for coming out and we got some work to do and we are
- adjourned. Thank you.