Voting for the Fix it with Five grant is now open! Visit www.vote-smc.com by Friday.
Who: EVERYONE
What: The “Fix it with Five” Donation
When: February 17-19
Why: The Fix it with Five organization has compiled a grant of roughly $10,000 to be given to a local charity. The eligible charities have been narrowed down to three with info about each located below. It is now your, the student body’s turn, to vote on which organization will receive this grant. This is your money and you now have the opportunity to decide where it goes.
This is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community so please make sure to check your emails next week and take the time to cast your vote. It will take less than a minute to complete and will be of great benefit to a local organization. Thank you all and remember to vote on February 17-19!
COTS – Housing Resource Center: http://www.cotsonline.org/joomla-license/need-housing-or-at-risk.html
COTS Housing Resource Center prevents not only the financial devastation of homelessness but also the emotional and physical stress of homelessness. Through a centralized housing resource center dedicated to homelessness prevention and housing retention, this program helps low-income households retain their housing and avert homelessness by providing one time financial assistance for contingencies beyond a household’s control, such as an emergency medical cost or car repair bill. We use a well-established network of landlords to help low-income families on the verge of eviction transition into more affordable housing placements and avoid ruining their credit.
Spectrum Youth and Family Services: http://www.spectrumvt.org/
Spectrum’s mission is to work with homeless young adults in Vermont. We provide them with basic needs, mental health/substance abuse counseling, educational and employment services. Due to the recession we have witnessed a 30% increase in the number of youth residing in our shelter and a 91% increase in the number of times we had to turn someway away due to lack of space. We desperately need to create a second residence, and while $10,000 will obviously not fulfill this entire need, it gets us heading in the right direction.
Neighborkeepers: http://neighborkeepers.org/
This grant will help NeighborKeepers’ Nutritional Literacy Project teach families to fish by improving their nutrition and health. The project’s Americorps Member (Sudanese American) will provide direct service teaching families to grocery shop by reading food labels and cooking nutritious meals in their homes. New Americans and families struggling with a lack of resources will be given the opportunity to join the NeighborKeepers community garden. By attending the weekly NeighborKeepers meeting that provides supper and childcare, community members may decrease isolation and achieve goals through a Circle of Support by befriending three allies (volunteers/students) who “do with” versus “doing for.”
