2015 GRANT RECIPIENTS

A total of over $55,000 in grants were awarded by Operation Our Town for the 2015 grant cycle to the following prevention and treatment programs:

Altoona Area School District Foundation:  SOAR (Study, Overcome, Achieve, Reward)
Identifies students who will receive financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education, given that they meet program guidelines and participate fully in the program.

Altoona Boxing Club:  Youth Boxing
Will fund the purchase and upkeep of existing equipment used for the boxing club which is open to the public, for no charge, Monday through Thursday from 6:30-8:00pm to install discipline to both boys and girls.

Altoona Housing Authority:  Public Housing
Will provide funding toward the purchase of security cameras at Fairview Hills to curb the potential for criminal activity and create a safer neighborhood.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County:  One-to-One Youth Mentoring
Evidence-based one-to-one youth mentoring program offered to children of Blair County between the ages of 6 and 18, who are paired with a trained adult mentor to do a variety of activities, to confide in as a friend, and to serve as a role model.

Blair County Adult Parole & Probation:  Cognitive Behavioral Thinking Groups
Will fund Cognitive Life Skills workbooks that will be used for individuals on probation that participate in Cognitive Life Skills classes, which seek to achieve behavioral change. 

Blair County Chamber:  Early Childhood Education Summit
Will fund the presenter Dr. Judy Cameron, who is the foremost authority on early experience and brain development, to speak at the Early Childhood Summit in November 2015.

Catalyst Church:  Community Outreach
Will provide funding toward several community events throughout the year to connect families to a faith community and to reduce the risk of drug or alcohol usage and crime related activity.

Central Blair Recreation & Park Commission:  Jefferson Park Playground Project
Will provide funding toward the development of a new children’s playground to replace the recently removed unit located at Jefferson Park (118 4^th Avenue, Altoona). 

Every Life Matters Pregnancy Support Services:  Blair County Jail Parenting Program for Female Inmates
Funding to provide necessary supplies for female inmates from the Blair County Prison who attend a parenting group focused on generational practices and reshaping the way the female inmate thinks about herself, her history, and fundamental principles and values, while encouraging healthy behaviors and decisions.

Gloria Gates Memorial Foundation:  After School & Summer Program
After-school and summer programs provided for children ages 5 through 12 in a daily structured setting held within the low-income housing developments of Evergreen Manors, Fairview Hills, and Logan Hills.

Hollidaysburg Area YMCA:  Family Y-Nite
Offers their facilities to kids and their families on the second Saturday of each month from October through June and provides swimming, arts and crafts, games, music, food, and local entertainment.

Joshua House, Inc.:  Cross-Town Basketball League
Provides teens in Northern and Central Blair County the opportunity to play basketball with students from their own school and other schools in a safe and fun atmosphere, along with helping give life direction at a weekly dinner at Joshua House and through coaching mentorship.

Northern Blair County Recreation Commission:  Northern Blair Rec Center Family Nights
Offers their facilities to kids and their families one Saturday per month from fall through spring and provides arts & crafts, local entertainment, and family movie nights.

Ski Gap Community Action Council:  Pavilion/Picnic Tables to be used during Community Events
Will provide funding toward outdoor shelter and seating for community events such as Outdoor Movie Nights Against Drugs & Crime, an outdoor classroom, and other community events.

The ROCK:  After School Program
After-school program for children in Pre-K through 12^th grade held at the 2^nd Avenue United Methodist Church, which includes a recreational period, classroom lesson time, arts & crafts time, and a home-cooked meal.

United Way of Blair County:  Family Resource Center – Parents as Teachers Program and Make Parenting a Pleasure Parenting Class
Funding to provide program supplies for Parents as Teachers educational family home visits and group events, and educational materials for the Make Parenting a Pleasure curriculum.

Young Readers Council:  Home Run Against Drugs Give-A-Book Program
Will provide funding toward materials needed for personalized books that will be distributed through an assembly-based program to 2^nd grade students at five Blair County school districts to educate about the negative impact of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drug use.