Amarillo Area Foundation is proud to share the recipients for the third cycle of the 2023 Discretionary Grants. This grant cycle included proposals in all four of our focus areas — Education, Health, Economic Opportunity, and Unique and Urgent. These organizations are continuing the important work that is our mission: to improve quality of life for Texas Panhandle residents. Thank you to these organizations!
AmTech Career Academy uses Atomage Virtual Dissection Tables in training over 900 students at AmTech and over 600 additional students in 29 high schools in the Panhandle region. Currently, AmTech only has one table and they have used it for the past two years well over its maximum capacity. Additional atomage tables will enable AmTech to better accommodate and help train these 1,500 young future medical professionals.
The Leaders Readers Network is committed to expanding the Literacy Fellowship with current Amarillo ISD and Canyon ISD school partners and high-need Title 1 elementary campuses that need additional literacy resources to improve literacy outcomes. Leaders Readers Network works to address literacy gaps that disproportionately affect historically underserved families and students in the Texas Panhandle and the communities they serve. Through high-impact and consistent literacy outreach and service learning, they have built a supportive network that helps educators become leaders in the field by sharing their experiences, creating evidence-based literacy lessons, and promoting family literacy engagement activities both virtually and in person.
Storybridge provides a valuable service to the community in increasing access to quality books as early as birth through its partnerships with Dolly Parton Imagination Library, school districts, and hospitals. They represent Dolly Parton Imagination Library’s largest partner in Texas and they project continued growth over the next two years to meet their goal of serving more kids in Potter and Randall counties. Their work is in direct alignment with Amarillo Area Foundation’s strategic impact goals in early childhood literacy. 100% of their requested funding would go to providing books to children in Potter and Randall.
FSS was chosen as a lead partner for the Communities RISE Together program by the Public Health Institute and Centers for Disease Control to focus primarily on migrant agricultural workers in the Texas Panhandle and have expanded the program to all those in rural communities who are underserved. When challenged to address various physical and mental health issues in the rural Panhandle areas, they created a coalition of health equity partners to provide services to rural communities. Reducing the financial burden of health care and decreasing untreated behavioral health conditions while also reducing the stigma associated with mental health.
For countless Americans, Meals on Wheels isn’t just about food delivery – it’s a lifeline that preserves their independence and quality of life. This vital program, offering nourishing meals, companionship, and safety checks, stands as a beacon of hope, combating the challenges of aging: hunger, loneliness, and the fear of losing one’s autonomy. Extensive research reinforces the profound impact of this support, resulting in enhanced well-being, reduced hospitalizations, and a longer, fuller life for our beloved seniors. Ochiltree General Hospital District utilizes volunteers in the local community to deliver the meals Monday through Friday and is expanding the Meals on Wheels program to provide healthy snacks or light meals for the weekend with the Friday meal delivery.
The Tulia Love Fund purchases and receives food and other staple items from the High Plains Food Bank, Walmart in Plainview, and several other organizations. They work to help eliminate many economic barriers and provide free food as a means of supplementing food costs and aiding in the well-being of many lower-income individuals and families. From November 2021 through November 2022, they have distributed a total of 244,511 lbs of food (6,113 – 40lb food boxes) to 7,045 individuals from 2,432 households.
Amarillo Wesley Community Center (AWCC) has been dedicated to increasing its childcare caregivers’ and educators’ pay and continues to prioritize this critical need. Caregivers working with young children set the foundation for all future learning, building the key knowledge and skills children need to succeed later in school and flourish in life. These caregivers are doing the important early work that is crucial for helping young children develop into successful students and productive adults.
Hope Village is a transitional employment center, park, and accessible gymnasium to expand its current pre-vocational training and physical activities programs. Hope Village Independent Consumer Shops and Warehouse will allow individuals to apply the learned skills from Advo Companies to a competitive job site offering real-time experiences and training to our individuals in preparation for joining the community workforce. Hope to Opportunities is constructing a childcare facility within its Hope Village to expand access to quality childcare.
For over fifty years, Opportunity School has had a proven track record of helping low-income children and their families to succeed in school and life. Opportunity School is known for its innovative learning and increasing access to more high-quality childcare. This project will create a one-of-a-kind outdoor learning environment that will be unique to Amarillo for the children in our community who have the least opportunity for daily outdoor experiences. Outdoor learning environments will foster cognitive development, self-regulation, and STEM learning.
Lollipop Junction provides high-quality care for children by nurturing them in a positive, motivational, and safe environment. The staff is dedicated to giving teacher/child interaction with age-appropriate activities, positive reinforcement, redirection, choices, and opportunities to develop and grow. With their abilities to work with special needs, provide a multicultural environment, and the value placed on family, they welcome parental involvement and commitment.
