Special to Atmore News
The Community Foundation of South Alabama (CFSA) announces it has awarded $268,600 to 22 nonprofit organizations across its service area in Southwest Alabama. These funds will support programs that provide resources and basic needs to those in Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington counties effected by COVID-19.
To address all the critical needs local communities are facing, CFSA expanded on the first round of COVID-19 Response and Relief grant funding focus areas to also include mental and behavioral health support and access to extracurricular activities.
The Phase II COVID-19 Response and Relief grantees include Feeding the Gulf Coast; McKemie Place; Crittenton Youth Service; Pride of Atmore; Boys & Girls Club of South Alabama, Inc.; Victory Health Partners; South Baldwin Literacy Council; Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church; Via Health, Fitness and Enrichment Center; Liberty Learning Foundation, Inc.; Dumas Wesley Community Center; Dwell Mobile; CARE House, Inc.; Mobile Symphony; CASA Mobile Program; Volunteers of America Southeast, Inc.; American Heart Association; Goodwill Industries-Easterseals of the Gulf Coast, Inc.; Housing First, Inc.; Alabama Free Clinic; Prodisee Pantry; and Family Counseling Services of Mobile, Inc.
A spokesperson from the Pride of Atmore, said “they are proud to accept a $15,000 covid relief grant from CFSA. These funds will be utilized to help us achieve our funding goals and create an Arts, Educational, Technology and Cultural Center in Atmore in [our] two historic buildings specific to critical infrastructure related to covid relief needs. These two buildings will be re-adapted, restored, renovated to provide a new source of continued learning, entertainment venues, adult education, ‘hot spot’ computer internet facilities, and serve as a future facility to help with disaster relief as an emergency disaster shelter, as well as emergency food distribution center.”
Community Foundation of South Alabama President and CEO Rebecca Byrne said, “The Foundation recognized early on that our communities needed more help and that COVID has definitely turned so many lives upside down; the organizations that we’ve funded in this second phase of the COVID-19 Response and Relief grant cycle are dedicated to helping our local communities navigate life during a pandemic.”