American Legion's Child Welfare foundation awards over $811,000 in grants

American Legion's Child Welfare foundation awards over $811,000 in grants

The American Legion's Child Welfare Foundation has awarded $811,282 in grants to 19 nonprofits. These grants, determined during the annual meeting of the CWF board of directors in Indianapolis on Oct. 13, have been awarded to support youth-serving projects that seek to enhance the lives of children by addressing their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. Since the foundation made its first three grants in 1955, nearly $16 million has been awarded to assist the needs of children.

CWF grants are made possible thanks to donations from members of the American Legion Family and other donors.

The following is a list of the CWF grants awarded for 2020.

Adoption Exchange Association of Linthicum, Md., was awarded $18,947 for its project, “Every Child Deserves a Family.” This grant will provide a website to share useful information with other agencies to facilitate adoptions.

American Legion Auxiliary of Indianapolis was awarded $1,843 for its project, “American Legion Auxiliary Juniors Indivisible Project.” This project will purchase The American Legion's “Indivisible: The Story of Our Flag” bookazine to teach junior members about the American flag.

American Legion Auxiliary of Indianapolis was awarded $120,500 for its project, “American Legion Auxiliary National Youth Programs Scholarships.” This grant will provide academic scholarships in the following areas: Girls Nation, Children of Warriors National Presidents Scholarship, Spirit of Youth Scholarship and Honorary National Junior Scholarship.

Childhood Leukemia Foundation of Brick, N.J., was awarded $29,700 for its project, “Hope Binder.” This project will offer 12 sections of templates and resources to help families begin to feel a degree of control over their circumstances.

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation of Pittsburgh was awarded $30,000 for its project, “Teach for the Starz(l); Online Resources for Child Liver Transplant Patients and their Families.” This project will create an online portal of resources for children and their families who have received a liver transplant.

Cornelia De Lange Syndrome Foundation of Avon, Conn., was awarded $21,258 for its project, “Parent Resources and Handbook for Children with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.” This grant will fund the updating, printing and distribution of their handbook.

CureSearch for Children’s Cancer of Bethesda, Md., was awarded $33,000 for its project, “Supporting American Families Facing a Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis.” This grant will fund the creation of a CancerCare mobile app which will allow parents to track the treatment plans, medications and appointments for their children. It will also provide an Ella Barbie doll to help children better understand hair loss.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Chicago was awarded $25,000 for its project, “Mental Health Education and Wellness Tools for Children and Youth.” This project will create an online database of tools and resources for children and youth who suffer from mood disorders and promoting this awareness during the national marketing campaign.

Gratitude Initiative of Red Oak, Texas, was awarded $10,500 for its project, “Gratitude Initiative Promotional Materials for US Army IMCOM.” This project will create and produce a webinar to help children of Army families prepare for the transition into college.

Lifeline Pilots of Peoria, Ill., was awarded $25,000 for its project, “No Cost Air Transportation for Medically Fragile Kids." This project will fund air transportation for children who are receiving treatment outside their local area.

Marc Apodace Jr. Childrens Glioma Cancer Foundation of Thornton, Colo., was awarded $8,540 for its project, “Educational IPad Program.” This project will fund IPads and the software for children who have been diagnosed with cancer and lost the ability to communicate with family and their doctors.

National Braille Press of Boston was awarded $19,725 for its project, “ReadBooks!” This grant will fund resource books for parents with visually impaired children to introduce their children to Braille as an effective method of reading and writing and help encourage parents to learn Braille to help their children. It will also provide a Braille book for the visually impaired child.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of Alexandria, Va., was awarded $12,839 for its project, “Reconnecting with Your Child: Building Relationships after Suspected Sexual Exploitation.” This grant will fund the production and distribution of information on how to reconnect with someone who has suffered sexual exploitation.

National Hemophilia Foundation of New York was awarded $19,200 for its project, “Navigating life with a Rare Bleeding Disorder.” This project will create both a kid friendly and parent guide to help them understand their diagnosis while explaining what comes next.

Patient Airlift Services of Farmingdale, N.Y., was awarded $46,190 for its project, “PALS Outreach for Children’s Health and Welfare.” This grant will fund the printing and distribution of materials to increase awareness of their services to families of children in need of treatment outside their local area, while also recruiting new pilots.

Seedlings Braille Books for Children of Livonia, Mich., was awarded $5,000 for its project, “Braille Books for Blind Children Ages 6 and Older.” This grant will provide Braille books to those children who are visually impaired over the age of 6.

Songs of Love of Forest Hills, N.Y., was awarded $25,000 for its project, “Songs of Love Outreach Project.” This grant will fund the printing and distribution of profile forms and song request forms that will help create personalized songs for seriously ill children up to the age of 21 with no charge to them. This grant will also update and maintain the website, which provides detailed information on how to request a song.

Sportsman Alliance Foundation of Columbus, Ohio, was awarded $20,000 for its project, “Heritage Hunting and Fishing Project.” This grant will expose 5,000 youth to hands on training and real life outdoor experience in hunting and fishing, while teaching them safety and wildlife conservation. This grant will also create online educational videos.

Talk about Curing Autism of Irvine, Calif., was awarded $21,540 for its project, “Autism Journey Guides and Educational Materials.” This grant will print and distributed 4,000 copies of their recently updated “Autism Journey Guide” and educational information to families who have recently been diagnosed with autism.

The American Legion National Headquarters of Indianapolis was awarded $54,500 for its project, “2020 American Legion National Youth Programs Scholarships.” This grant will provide academic scholarships to the following youth programs: Boys Nation, Junior Shooting Sports, Legion Baseball and Eagle Scout of the Year.

The American Legion National Headquarters of Indianapolis was awarded $75,000 for its project, “The American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance Program.” This grant will provide temporary financial assistance to children of veterans in need of shelter, food, utilities and clothing in 2020.

The American Legion National Headquarters of Indianapolis was awarded $188,000 for its project, “The American Legion National Oratorical Contest.” This grant will provide scholarships for youth competing in the 2020 American Legion National Oratorical Contest.