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.