American Legion delivers $740,889 in grants to youth-supporting nonprofits

The annual meeting of the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation (CWF) board of directors was held virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 15. During the meeting, the CWF award recipients for 2021 were named.

In its 66th year, CWF has awarded $740,889 in grants to 17 nonprofits that support youth-serving projects that seek to enhance the lives of children by addressing their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.

The following is a brief summary of the grants awarded.

American Printing House for the Blind of Louisville, Ky., was awarded $23,500 for its project, “Braille Tales: Sharing the Joys of Literacy.” This grant will provide Braille Tales books to 1,800 visually impaired children throughout the United States. The Sons of The American Legion supports this grant.

Angel Flights Soars of Atlanta was awarded $50,000 for its project, “Connecting Kids to Care Program.” This project seeks to fund flights for medically fragile children who are unable to get to their treatments otherwise. The project will also create a pilot recruitment video.

Autism Speaks of New York was awarded $35,000 for its project, “Autism Speaks Resource Guide: Digital Tools for Autism Families.” This grant will allow Autism Speaks to update and expand its current digital resources to provide the latest information while expanding services and providers. The Sons of The American Legion supports this grant.

Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation of Tenafly, N.J., was awarded $20,000 for its project, “Stories from the Heart Storytelling App Project.” This grant will allow for the creation of a mobile storytelling app for children and parents to share their stories with other kids, parents and medical staff. The Sons of The American Legion supports this grant.

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Foundation of Omaha, Neb., was awarded $12,400 for its project, “Safe Sleep Education Program.” This project will fund Halo Sleep Sacks to more than 1,600 hospitals in North America to help reduce the number of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases each year.

Father Flanagan’s Boys Town Boys Town, Neb., was awarded $35,000 for its project, “Boys Town National Hotline.” This project will fund 35 weeks of an online campaign encouraging young people to reach out for help. The American Legion Auxiliary supports this grant.

Gift of Adoption of Techny, Ill., was awarded $25,000 for its project, “Adoption Assistance for U.S Born Citizens.” This project will help fund the final administrative cost of adoption of vulnerable children in the United States, giving them permanent families and the chance to thrive. The American Legion Auxiliary supports this grant.

Illinois Spina Bifida Association of Chicago was awarded $9,847 for its project, “Diagnosis Day Brochure about Spina Bifida for Expectant Parents.” This project will print and produce brochures with the latest update medical information on Spina Bifida.

Kansas Braille Transcription Institute of Wichita, Kan., was awarded $9,062 for its project, “Red, Sight and Blue, I can 'See' Her too.” This project seeks to produce and distribute educational materials about the American flag in braille to more than 1,500 blind students.

Mercy Flights Southeast of Leesburg, Fla., was awarded $9,700 for its project, “Angel Flight Southeast: Flying Kids to a Healthy Future!” This grant will print and produce advertising materials that will both recruit pilots and advertise their services.

Mercy Medical Angels of Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded $25,000 for its project, “Children’s Charitable Medical Transportation Program.” This grant will cover the transportation costs for children when their medical treatment is out of their area. This grant also will allow for the updating of promotional materials.

Military Child Education Coalition of Harker Heights, Texas, was awarded $10,000 for its project, “Supporting Military Families.” This project will provide interactive workshops that encourages face-to-face interactions of parents and children through shared reading experiences and related activities while supporting development and resiliency skills.

National Autism Association of Portsmouth, R.I., was awarded $30,000 for its project, “Big Red Safety Box.” This grant will fund Big Red Safety Boxes designed to educate, raise awareness, and provide tangible tools that may assist in preventing and responding to dangerous wandering-related incidents in the autism community.

Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome Foundation of Florence, Ky., was awarded $6,380 for its project, “Commonly Used Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome Medical Terms.” This project will create a glossary book that will explain commonly used terms for kids and their parents who suffer from Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome.

The American Legion Auxiliary of Indianapolis was awarded $75,000 for its project, “American Legion Auxiliary National Youth Programs Scholarships.” This grant will provide academic scholarships to the American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation program, the Children of Warriors National Presidents Scholarship, the Spirit of Youth Scholarship, the Honorary National Junior Division Vice President Scholarship, and the Junior Member Loyalty Scholarship. The American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of The American Legion support this grant.

The American Legion National Headquarters of Indianapolis was awarded $55,500 for its project, “2021 American Legion National Youth Programs Scholarships.” This grant will provide academic scholarships for American Legion Boys Nation, Junior Shooting Sports, American Legion Baseball and Eagle Scout of the Year. The Sons of The American Legion and The American Legion Auxiliary support this grant.

The American Legion National Headquarters of Indianapolis was awarded $203,500 for its project, “The American Legion National Oratorical Contest-2021.” This grant will provide scholarships for youth competing in the 2021 American Legion National Oratorical Contest. The Sons of The American Legion and The American Legion Auxiliary support this grant.

The American Legion National Headquarters of Indianapolis was awarded $75,000 for its project, “The American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance Program-2021.” This grant will provide temporary financial assistance to the minor child(ren) in the home of an eligible veteran or military servicemember to maintain shelter, food, utilities and clothing. The Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary support this grant.

United Through Reading of San Diego was awarded $31,000 for its project, “Special Books Distributions to Military Children.” This project will disseminate books to military children to help promote literacy and maintain critical bonds between the child and their deployed parent. The Sons of The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary supports this grant.