Lincoln Financial Foundation is partnering with the AIDS Task Force to educate northeast Indiana youths on the danger posed by HIV/AIDS and risky behavior. The project is part of more than $720,000 in education grants the Lincoln Foundation recently made to 22 local non-profits.
A $60,000 grant from the Lincoln Foundation will help underwrite the Youth Empowerment Program, a six- to eight-week multisession program that educates 13- to 19-year-olds on the risks associated with HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy. The program provides a safe atmosphere in which youths can discuss often difficult topics such as substance abuse, body image, peer pressure and sexually aggressive behaviors.
Other grants were awarded to:
Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana: $100,000 to support the Elementary Economics and Lincoln Finance Park programs. These programs help students better understand the economic effect of their financial decisions and larger regional and national issues in the context of their personal finances and the local economy.
Turnstone Center for Children and Adults: $49,000 to subsidize child care fees for families with special needs children at the Robert Kimbrough Early Learning Center.
Early Childhood Alliance: $48,500 for the Book Buddies Family Literacy Program and to provide early care and education for children of homeless families.
Allen County Education Partnership: $45,000 for Project READS (Reading, Early Assistance in Developing Skills), which helps children in kindergarten through third grade develop and improve their reading and writing skills.
Science Central: $45,000 to support educational programs offered in the Lincoln Financial Foundation Demonstration Theater and for Lincoln’s Employee Attendance Package.
YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne: $45,000 for youth programs including the Southeast Family YMCA Childcare Program; Old Fort YMCA’s Summer Day Camp; and Camp Potawotami’s Outdoor Education Program.
IPFW: $40,000 to provide financial assistance to academically advanced high school students enrolled in the Collegiate Connection Program. This assistance allows students from low-income families the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school.
Ivy Tech Foundation: $40,000 to create Video Adaptive Learning Objects, also known as VALOs, for the Advanced Manufacturing Program in the School of Technology. VALOs use a technology-based approach that enables students to practice critical thinking and decision-making skills on highly technical equipment in a virtual setting.
Northeast Indiana Public Radio: $32,000 to support “All Things Considered,” a program featuring news, interviews, commentaries, reviews and offbeat features.
Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michigan: $30,000 to provide scholarships that enable girls from low-income families to attend camp and provide programs that meet their physical, developmental, educational, emotional and social needs while actively building leadership skills.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne: $25,000 for Project Learn, an after-school program that includes homework help and tutoring, high-yield learning activities, technology and enhancement programs, incentives and recognition.
Educational Opportunity and Talent Search Center: $25,000 for computer training, GED preparation and English as a Second Language classes at the center.
Euell Wilson Center: $25,000 for after-school programs that include mentoring, life skills classes, performing arts classes, homework support, reading and math tutoring and general recreation.
Lifeline Youth and Family Services: $23,000 for the Building Blocks Preschool, which serves the low-income community of Brookmill Court Apartments.
United Hispanic Americans: $16,000 for the Chartering New Paths for Our Youth Program. This program encompasses five Hispanic youth programs and includes cultural enrichment activities that teach leadership skills, how to engage the community in a positive way and academic excellence.
Fort Wayne Public Television: $15,000 for the PBS Kids Go! Writers’ Contest that encourages children in kindergarten through third grade to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces.
Leadership Fort Wayne: $15,000 to fund youth leadership programs, including Youth Leadership Fort Wayne, Youth as Resources and the Leadership Exploration and Development Program, and for Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana for website completion and the YLNI Vote Initiative.
Mental Health of America: $15,000 for the “Kids on the Block” puppet programs. The programs teach children about a variety of disabilities and issues and teach acceptance of and appreciation for children who are different.
Power House Youth Center: $10,000 to support Power Plant, an after-school program for youths in grades 6-12 that includes homework assistance, tutoring, seminars and opportunities to enhance creative and social skills and participation in community service projects.
Southeast Youth Council: $10,000 for the Cornerstone Youth Center’s Education Center, which offers a computer lab, tutoring and homework assistance.
East Allen Family Resource Center: $7,000 to provide preschool services for children ages 3 and 4, and after-school and summer programs for children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
The Lincoln Financial Foundation, established in 1962, is the charitable giving arm of Lincoln Financial Group. Under Lincoln Foundation guidelines, grants are made in the areas of arts, education, human services and workforce/economic development. Lincoln Financial sets aside up to 2 percent of its pre-tax earnings for charitable causes that support philanthropic endeavors in the communities where its employees work. The Lincoln Foundation allocated more than $2.6 million to support non-profits in the greater Fort Wayne area in 2009. Since 1962, the Lincoln Foundation has contributed nearly $85 million to Fort Wayne non-profits.
