CWF awards $506,683 in grants

In its 57th year, The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation recently announced its grant recipients, awarding $506,683 to 18 non-profit organizations. The grants, which were approved during the CWF's annual board of directors meeting in Indianapolis on Oct. 9, will support projects that benefit the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of children.

Alström Syndrome International of Mount Desert, Maine, provides support and information to families and professionals on Alström Syndrome. The organization was awarded $13,125 for its project, "The Alström Syndrome Handbook." This grant will produce a soft cover binder with 12 topic dividers and about 40 pages of content, including photographs, figures, graphs, timelines and supporting materials.

American Humane Association of Englewood, Colo., protects children, pets and farm animals from abuse and neglect. The organization was awarded $35,250 for its project, "Family Group Decision Making Docutraining." This grant will fund production and distribution of 3,500 docutraining workbooks, 100 facilitator guides, DVDs and marketing materials.

Angel Flight Soars, Inc., of Atlanta provides patients with free air transportation for medical treatments that are not available locally. The organization was awarded $16,564 for its project, "Angel Flight Soars ‘Broadcast Outreach Campaign.' " This grant will fund production and dissemination of information for pilot recruitment and outreach to the general community through medical and other facilities.

Autism Speaks, Inc., of New York is dedicated to raising awareness of autism and finding a cure. The organization was awarded $22,500 for its project, "100 Day Kit for Newly Diagnosed Families." The kit puts critical information on autism directly in the hands of the people who need it most: parents.

Be The Match Foundation of Minneapolis is dedicated to raising the funds needed for a patient to receive his or her necessary transplant. The organization was awarded $16,050 for its DVD project, "Super Sam vs. the Marrow Monsters: A Guide to Bone Marrow Transplant for Children." This grant will produce 3,000 copies of the DVD.

Birth Defect Research for Children of Orlando, Fla., provides parents and expectant parents with information about birth defects and support services. The organization was awarded $18,500 for its project, "Birth Defect Research for Children's Accessibility & Outreach Project." This grant will purchase software to allow website visitors to hear content online. The grant will also purchase three ads in the online magazine, Healthy Mom and Baby.

Children's Institute, Inc., of Rochester, N.Y., is focused on strengthening children's social and emotional health. The organization was awarded $9,500 for their DVD project, "Building Strong Military Families Through Play." This grant will disperse 1,000 of the DVDs nationwide to National Guard and reserve centers, and other centers serving military children and families.

Mercy Medical Airlift of Virginia Beach, Va., transports patients for distant medical treatment. The organization was awarded $43,400 for their project, "Child Health Program - Info Dissemination Upgrade." This grant will provide for five modernized and upgraded websites and a full social media presence providing information to the public and pediatric medical world regarding child patient long-distance medical transportation.

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth of Minneapolis is the voice for the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The organization was awarded $41,000 for their project, "Voices for Homeless Students." This grant will produce a redesigned website, a new "Advocate's Toolkit" and a public service announcement.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of Alexandria, Va., serves as the nation's resource on the issues of missing and sexually exploited children. The organization was awarded $25,500 for its project, "Child ID App." The grant will fund the development of an iPhone Child ID application.

Organization for Autism Research of Arlington, Va., applies research to the challenges of autism and offers communicational and educational tools. The organization was awarded $49,355 for its  project, "Understanding Autism: A Guide for Secondary Teachers." This grant will produce a video-based learning module to give educators a better understanding of autism.

Second Wind Fund, Inc., of Lakewood, Colo., focuses on decreasing teen suicide by providing treatment to at-risk youth. The organization was awarded $23,724 for its project, "Teen Suicide IS Preventable." It's a campaign to educate school gatekeepers about suicide prevention and how Second Wind Fund can help reduce the teen suicide rate in their communities. This grant will allow Second Wind Fund to develop a short multi-media presentation to be used as a practical guide for school mental health staff, showing the success of Second Wind Fund's success in lowering teen suicide rates.

The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children of Albion, Mich., creates a healthy environment for traumatized children. The organization was awarded $20,000 for its web-based service project, "Trauma Informed and Resilience Focused Virtual Resource Center for Military Parents."

Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation of Austin, Texas, provides programs to support military families. The organization was awarded $40,000 for its project, "My Parent Is Deploying To Combat." This grant will provide brochures for children in schools that will explain to teachers, counselors and administrators what it means to have a parent deployed.

The American Legion Department of Kansas of Topeka was awarded $32,000 for its project, "Drug Free America - Ruler - Bookmark." This grant will produce a six-inch ruler/bookmark containing an anti-drug message on one side and the Pledge of Allegiance on the other.

ThinkFirst Foundation of Naperville, Ill., focuses on preventing injury through education, research and policy. The organization was awarded $25,715 for its project, "ThinkFirst Campaign to Prevent Childhood Injuries." This grant will fund 100 ThinkFirst for Kids Curricula sets for grades one through eight. Additionally, it will fund posters and brochures.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc., of Washington, D.C., is a tragedy assistance resource for anyone who has suffered the loss of a military loved one. The organization was awarded $25,000 for its project, "TAPS Grieving Children's Care Kit - ‘Klinger: A Story of Hope'." This grant will fund a second printing of the care kit and purchase stuffed horses.

The American Legion Department of Arizona/ Detachment of Arizona of Phoenix was awarded $49,500 for the start-up cost of their project, "Deployment Josh Development Program."