The WHO (Women Helping Others® Foundation) awards $58,635 to 12 nonprofits dedicated to serving the needs of women and children. Congratulations to all of our deserving recipients.
EDBOOST LEARNING CENTER
$10,000 to EdBoost Learning Center, Los Angeles, CA
The EdBoost Learning Center was founded specifically to address the profound inequalities that exist in minority students’ out-of-school educational resources and opportunities. Today, its mission is to provide high-quality educational services for all children through one-on-one tutoring, test prep, and college advising curricula. Each year, approximately 70% of the 180 students from the Center’s One-on-One Tutoring Program qualify for scholarships resulting in the most affordable tutoring in the area. With a $10,000 grant from The WHO Foundation, the Center can continue its mission in providing the low-cost tutoring to all students.
PROJECT WOMEN, INC.
$3,860 to Project Women, Inc., Louisville, KY
Thousands of homeless women struggle to survive on a daily basis and cannot escape welfare and food stamps on their own. Project Women, Inc. gives them the hope, education, and support they need to break the cycle of poverty. Through the Toddler Book Club, mothers and children are given the opportunity to embrace reading as a fun family activity. WHO’s $3,860 grant will go toward the purchase of new books and educational materials that will help strengthen the bond between a mother and her child.
LYDIA’S PLACE
$3,600 to Lydia’s Place, Pittsburgh, PA
Approximately 75% of children with incarcerated parents are under the age of 13 and suffer greatly from separation anxiety. Lydia’s Place, Inc. helps incarcerated mothers gain the skills, pride and hope they
need to improve communications and contact with their children. A Mother’s Voice is a storybook project designed to strengthen the bond between a mother and her child through the positive experience of a book. The WHO Foundation donated $3,600 for the purchase of books, tapes, and other electronic equipment to help foster this relationship.
THE VOLUSIA LITERACY COUNCIL
$3,500 to The Volusia Literacy Council, Daytona Beach, FL
77% of Florida’s fourth graders are reading below proficiency; one out of very three adults in Volusia
County can barely read or write. The Volusia Literacy Council believes that if parents are shown the way
to improve their literacy, they will in turn emphasize reading and writing to their children. The WHO
Foundation has joined in the fight by donating $3,500 for the purchase of a variety of books that will benefit
both parents and children, and help to increase the overall literacy levels in the community.
WORLD BIRD SANCTUARY
$2,675 to World Bird Sanctuary, Valley Park, MO
Experiencing the beauty of the wilderness is not always accessible to many underprivileged and inner-city youths; however, The World Sanctuary makes it possible with free admission to its 305-acre wilderness. The organization’s mission is to preserve the earth’s biological diversity. With a $2,675 grant from the WHO Foundation, each visiting child will be able to take home a raptor book through the organization’s Raptor Reading Program that will continue the learning process and instill a love of learning through books.
ST. ANTHONY COMMUNITY CENTER
$5,000 to St. Anthony Community Center, Dallas, TX
Just off the beaten path in an economically depressed area outside of downtown sits the St. Anthony
Community Center. The center serves a population of low-income, working-class minority families and offers
hope and specifically helps fulfill an artistic, social and education-based development gap for more than 1,000
children each year who live in the poorest areas of the city. WHO’s $5,000 grant will be used for the purchase
of books and supplies for the Center’s Read Literacy and Arts Summer Camp.
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
$5,000 to Reading is Fundamental of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Reading is Fundamental of Southern California truly lives up to its name. In its mission to promote literacy
and motivate children to read, the organization builds at-home libraries for socially and economically disadvantaged children and their families, allowing them to enjoy the fundamentals of reading. The $5,000 grant will buy 5,742 books and serve 1,914 children.
EVERYBODY WINS!
$5,000 to Everybody Wins! CT, Hartford, CT
To read effectively is to win in life. Everybody Wins! CT dedicates its efforts to helping more than 800 elementary school children from high-risk populations that have never been read to nor owned a book. The organization provides reading enrichment programs that engage students, encourage leadership and learning, inspires a love of reading and builds stronger communities. The WHO Foundation has donated $5,000 to Readers for Leaders, the organization’s leadership literacy program.
CHILDREN’S OUTREACH PROJECT
$5,000 to Children’s Outreach Project, Denver, CO
Children have a better chance at future success when there is strong parent involvement and a quality
early childhood program. The Children’s Outreach Project stands behind this belief by providing young children of all abilities with excellent early childhood education at an affordable cost. The organization will be able to provide more class books, library books, and ethnically diverse books in both English and Spanish thanks to a $5,000 grant from the WHO Foundation.
HOMELESS CHILDREN’S EDUCATION FUND
$5,000 to Homeless Children’s Education Fund, Pittsburgh, PA
Children at homeless shelters typically do not have access to books, computers, learning materials, or even a quiet place to read and study—the essential resources needed to succeed in school and obtain academically enriching opportunities. Dr. Joseph Lagana founded The Homeless Children’s Education Fund to provide these resources to 2,000 children in 16 various homeless shelters and transitional housing programs throughout the city. The WHO Foundation awarded the organization’s Building Blocks to Success with a $5,000 grant that will help children reach their academic achievements.
THE MARSHALL COUNTY RETIRED & SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
$5,000 to The Marshall County Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, Guntersville, AL
The Marshall County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program has been making a difference in the community
since 1972. The program provides seniors with the perfect opportunity for personal development and satisfaction through volunteer programs that allow them to mentor children from the community.
Last year, the organization placed 156 RSVP volunteers one-on-one with 468 children reading below grade
level and at risk of falling out of school. A $5,000 grant from the WHO Foundation will help the organization continue its efforts and provide seniors with an outlet for their energy and creativity.
STRONG WOMEN, STRONG GIRLS, INC.
$5,000 to Strong Women, Strong Girls, Inc., Boston, MA
Research shows children who attend, after-school programs have better attitudes toward school, improved
school behavior and higher test scores. Apparently, the powerful efforts undertaken by Strong
Women, Strong Girls is paying off. Since it was founded in 2000, the organization has supported the
empowerment of over 500 girls and engaged college women in more than 25,000 hours of volunteer service.
The organization hopes to add 100 new program slots with the $5,000 grant from the WHO Foundation.
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