In partnership with our generous donors and supporters, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has awarded more than $2 million in COVID-19 relief funding over the last five months.
In week twenty, $45,000 in COVID-19 Community Support Grants were awarded to three organizations to provide essential hygiene support to vulnerable youth, mental health support to caregivers of special needs individuals, and financial support to day laborers affected by COVID-19.
- I Am You 360
- Southside Presbyterian Church/Southside Worker Center
- Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK)
I Am You 360 serves vulnerable youth, including homeless and foster care youth, through a unique blend of philanthropy and community assistance by creating employment, mentoring, and development opportunities for them.
During COVID-19, I Am You 360 has transitioned to virtual programs, curbside drop off and pick up for supplies for youth. Their focus for this funding is on creating Hygiene Empowerment Bags filled with essential hygiene items, including those needed to protect against COVID-19, for vulnerable youth.
Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK) works to strengthen kids and community through animal interaction in a variety of programs centered on creating an inclusive community empowered and united by the strength of the human-animal bond. During the pandemic, TRAK developed a program to support mental health for parents and caregivers of individuals with special needs who have experienced heightened stress and strain caring for these individuals.
Scott Tilley, Executive Director and Co-Founder of TRAK, shared, “We are grateful to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona for their Covid Community Response Grant, providing respite and relief for parents of individuals with special needs in our equine-assisted therapy program.”
Tilley further emphasized the importance of these programs in stating, “Through CFSAZ, we can provide a double dose of support, serving small groups of parents and their children simultaneously using the transformative power of horses.”
Southside Presbyterian Church/Southside Worker Center connects day laborers in need of work with employers, and raises the standards of working conditions and fair wages. They will use funds to provide financial support to thirty-nine members and a dispatch staff member who have been affected by lack of employment opportunities during COVID-19.