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One poignant story followed another Thursday at Round Hill Country Club as the Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley handed out its annual grants to nonprofit organizations.
“Someone said that money cannot buy happiness, but whoever said that didn’t work for a small nonprofit organization,” said Elaine Welch, executive director of Contra Costa for Every Generation as she accepted its grant check. Her group works with seniors to stay healthy and live independently.
A grant was given to the Danville Police Department to produce a film teaching about cyberbullying and Internet safety to be used in the schools.
“We don’t usually give a grant to a government agency but this mission was so compelling that we made an exception to our rule,” said grants chairman John Lineweaver.
More than $30,000 was given out, which filled requests by 75 percent of those who applied, Lineweaver said. Its two main fundraising events each year are the Fourth of July parade and its annual golf tournament in April. This year the club awarded 31 grants plus gave funds for Grad Nites at the three high schools with graduating seniors in the San Ramon Valley.
The representative from the Family Stress Center noted that its work is even more important since the county has cut its Child & Family Services Department budget by one-third.
“We have expanded our parent education program,” she said. “We’ve decided to tackle the problem by preventing abuse before they have to show up at Children & Family Services.”
Executive Director Nancy LaBelle accepted the check for the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area, noting that the organization was founded in 1998 and provides prenatal consultations to parents. Its offices in Danville provide a place for children and teens to express themselves, she said.
“It’s a safe place to come together with their peers,” she said. “We support their unlimited potential.”
Other recipients of this year’s grants are:
Assistance League of Amador Valley
Assistance League of Diablo Valley – Buena Vista Auxiliary
Building Bridges
Camp Camelot
Contra Costa Child Care Council
Discovery Counseling Center of San Ramon Valley
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties
Hope Hospice Inc.
Hospice of the East Bay
Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa
Moment by Moment
Museum of the San Ramon Valley
Nayeli Faith Foundation
Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa
San Ramon Library Foundation
San Ramon Symphonic Band
San Ramon Valley Education Foundation
San Ramon Valley YMCA
Senior Helpline Services
Shelter Inc. of Contra Costa County
SonRise Equestrian Foundation
STAND! Against Domestic Violence
Lucille Glass Mauzy Foundation
The Taylor Family Foundation – Camp Arroyo
The Wellness Community
Valley Humane Society
Wardrobe for Opportunity
