$11,000 in Grants Awarded to Local Change-Makers
Last month was a historic moment for the fledgling Canary Fund based in Northeast Wisconsin. Begun in 2019 as a way to honor the life and lifelong generosity of James Rivett of Green Bay, Wisconsin (1958-2018), the first round of grant recipients were announced in January acknowledging the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, an important annual event to Rivett, who was a Green Bay businessman, artist and entrepreneur.
Six change-makers proposed projects that work to address unmet needs in their communities and shared a total of $11,000 in seed grants. These grants are an important way to support individuals and community groups that aren’t necessarily recognized as registered or established organizations, and offer funding to help take early-stage projects to the next level. The funds help to provide acknowledgement and validation that their activities are important and valued in our communities. Oftentimes, they have a multiplier effect in that they help individuals leverage their contributions into additional funding. Winners from this inaugural grant cycle included:
Debra Langacker - Community Circles of Support
The project provides volunteers in the Appleton area who then meet weekly with men and women released from prison or jail and assist them in making a successful transition into the community. The goal is to also help them become productive members of society and reduce the likelihood of recidivism.
Diana Delbecchi - The United ReSisters
This program helps create a more inclusive Green Bay community by growing strong female leaders among former Somali refugee youth. Young women participate in activities designed to build camaraderie, develop new skills and allow for personal growth and confidence-building.
Emily Jacobson - Community-Based Doula Program
The Doula program provides educational classes and hands-on support pertaining to childbirth and the postpartum period to local nonprofits such as House of Hope, Golden House, Freedom House, Rose Home and the Adolescent Parenting Coalition. The program strives to help lower maternal and infant mortality rates, and provide proper prenatal and postnatal support to families within the scope of professional doula support.
Anne Rakow-Weist - Minoka-Hill School Resiliency Shirt Design
An art therapist and educator, this Green Bay Public School teacher at Minoka-Hill School works with students in grades K-12 who suffer from trauma, mental health and behavior issues to acknowledge the creative process by creating self-designed t-shirts students have conceptualized, designed and produced. Students frequently wear their creations to school proudly, helping to achieve the development of a healthy self-concept.
Deb Hutchison - Baird Creek Preservation Foundation Art & Awareness Project
This project will bring awareness to an organization responsible for the environmental education, trail maintenance and habitat restoration, and support a 2020 awareness plan that includes an art project allowing the foundation to engage a new demographic of potential users of the 500-acre greenway.
Kelly Nutty - Community Meditation Nights
Foundations Health & Wholeness is piloting a new project to provide free community meditation nights to help community members feel less isolated and disconnected, and to reduce stress and anxiety.
The Canary Fund provides grants to those working toward making more just, compassionate and sustainable communities in the 12-county area of Northeast Wisconsin. The fund is a proud partner of The Pollination Project, a 501(c)(3) organization, based in Berkeley, California. All donations are tax-deductible. The next granting cycle will begin in June 2020 with grant winners announced in August. For more information, visit www.thecanaryfund.org or like them on Facebook..