Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund Recipients for 2010

The Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) committee awarded grants to 34 organizations. TNSF collects donations from university employees throughout the year and then awards grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts’ host communities (Somerville, Medford, Grafton and Boston’s Chinatown) and that actively engage Tufts volunteers in their work.

A committee comprised of Tufts administrators, faculty and staff meets annually to review proposals and select grant recipients.  In 2010 there was a total of $18,000 available to distribute through TNSF.  The committee received 46 proposals representing more than $70,000 in requests and selected 34 programs and projects for awards.

Members of the TNSF committee base their decisions on a desire to address the most pressing needs in the communities, to assist programs with few other options for support, and to encourage expanded involvement of Tufts volunteers.

The Chinatown grant recipients for 2010 are:

• Asian American Civic Association, Inc. (AACA) — $500 to offer “Train the Trainer” workshops for AACA staff to teach their constituents about money management and budgeting.
• Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW) — $375 to produce marketing and promotional items for their Short Wave program.
• Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) — $500 to pilot a 10-week youth financial literacy course.
• Asian Task For Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) — $1,000 to cover supply costs of two youth-led domestic violence awareness programs.
• Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) — $500 for supplies for two mentoring programs: an ESL program and a college essay prep program.
• Chinese Progressive Association — $500 towards the purchase of a state of the art simultaneous interpretation system.
• Josiah Quincy School — $400 for program and outreach supplies for their After School Enrichment Program.
• Kwong Kow Chinese School — $500 towards outfitting a classroom with desks and multimedia equipment.
• Wang YMCA of Chinatown — $500 for material costs of running family activities geared around health awareness.

The Grafton grant recipients for 2010 are:

• Alternatives Unlimited, Inc. — $500 towards the cost of a lift in the Grafton House residential program.
• Apple Tree Arts — $300 to pilot a one-month music program for people suffering with dementia in area nursing homes.
• Community Harvest Project — $500 for additional equipment for their soil amendment project to increase water and nutrient efficiency.
• Saint James Outreach — $1,000 to expand and provide emergency and supplemental services to families and the elderly.
• Second Chance Fund for Animal Welfare, Inc. — $500 for surgical instruments to operate a mobile spay van, offering low to no-cost spay/neuter services.

The Medford grant recipients for 2010 are:

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Middlesex County – Gene Mack Clubhouse — $375 towards supplies for their Clay Tech program.
• Columbus Elementary School — $200 to support their End of the Year Celebration and Art Show.
• Community Cupboard Food Pantry of the Unitarian Universalist Church — $1,500 to help stock the pantry, providing food for those in need.
• Community Family – The Buddy Coholan Memory Loss Center — $440 for additional Wii controllers, software, and games to enhance activities for memory impaired adults.
• Medford Council on Aging — $375 for additional Wii controllers, software, and games to enhance activities for seniors.
• Medford Public Schools Early Childhood/Afterschool Office — $500 to purchase books for a variety of literacy programs.
• Outside the Lines Studio — $375 towards the launch of a cooking program where individuals will learn to prepare healthy meals.
• •Saint Clement Parish School – Junior/Senior High School — $700 towards the purchase an LCD projector and laptop for their Library/Media Center

The Somerville grant recipients for 2010 are:

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Middlesex County – Healy Clubhouse — $375 to support the enhancement of their Healthy Habits program.
• CASPAR — $1,000 to purchase winter clothing for unsheltered homeless people.
• Centro Presente — $250 towards video editing software for their youth program.
• Community Action Agency of Somerville, Inc. (CAAS) — $500 to purchase “Charlie Cards” for transportation for low-income Somerville residents to and from a job interview.
• Eagle Eye Institute, Inc. — $450 towards transportation costs of their program trips.
• Mystic Learning Center — $400 to support their Books of Hope program.
• Second Chances, Inc. — $400 to buy clothing and gift cards for their clients who receive services of shelter in Somerville.
• Somerville Council on Aging — $250 towards nutritional programs for seniors.
• Somerville Homeless Coalition — $1,000 for kitchen improvements at their Adult Shelter.
• Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services — $250 for additional meals for their Evening, Weekend, and Emergency Home-delivered Meals Program.
• The Walnut Street Center — $600 towards the cost of a forklift for the employment program.
• The Welcome Project — $491 to purchase bilingual dictionaries for the LIPS program.

“When you read these proposals, you always wish there was more funding to distribute,” said Barbara Rubel, director of Community Relations.  “The range of community based services and the work they do continue to impress our committee.  No wonder Tufts’ volunteers want to work with them.  Our deliberations were difficult – we wish we could give everyone what they need.  Thank you to all Tufts volunteers and the faculty and staff who made this possible.”

TNSF is a giving option of the annual Tufts Community Appeal (TCA), in which the university encourages its employees to contribute to charitable organizations at the regional, national and international levels. The TCA unites faculty and staff across all campuses of the university, and demonstrates the support the Tufts community for local and global efforts. It reflects the university community’s belief that individual action can make a difference in the world.

Questions regarding the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund can be directed to the Community Relations Office at Tufts University (617-627-3780).