Safelite AutoGlass Foundation Awards $400,000 in Impact Grants to Area Non-profits
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Safelite AutoGlass® Foundation, the 501(c)(3) giving arm of the nation’s largest vehicle glass repair and replacement company, has awarded $400,000 in Impact Grants to 14 separate Columbus-area non-profit groups, each receiving $25,000 or more. This is the fourth year the Foundation has awarded its Impact Grants, and thanks to increased fundraising, donations have grown $100,000 over last year. The recipients of Safelite’s Fourth Annual Impact Grants are:
- A Kid Again: With a mission to foster hope, happiness and healing for families raising kids with life threatening illnesses, A Kid Again received a $25,000 Impact Grant for an OSU Spring Game adventure. A VIP experience will be provided for 800 families that includes tailgating, game tickets and appearances by Brutus and the OSU cheerleaders.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio: Aimed at providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better forever, Big Brothers Big Sisters will use the $25,000 Impact Grant to fund a “Safelite Week” at Camp Oty’Okwa in 2015 in which 85 children will get to participate in summer camp.
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus: Boys and Girls Clubs’ goal is to empower young people to reach their potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. They will use the $25,000 Impact Grant to redesign and refurnish the Milo-Grogan Club Teen Center to create a vibrant and inviting space for teen members, which also includes the purchase of new technology such as a SMART TV and 14 new chrome books.
- CASA of Franklin County: Providing a powerful and consistent voice in court for all the innocent child victims of abuse and neglect, CASA will apply the $25,000 Impact Grant to provide updated training for advocates to expand initiatives to serve youth aged 7-17.
- Children’s Hunger Alliance: With a mission to ensure all children are fed regular and nutritious meals and develop lifelong healthy eating habits, CHA will use the $25,000 Impact Grant to expand their “Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools” program. The funds will increase breakfast participation at 10 schools reaching at least 500 additional children with healthy meals, improve food quality at five schools, and implement “Fuel Up to Play 60.”
- Community Shelter Board: The $25,000 Impact Grant will help the Community Shelter Board, which strives to create collaborations, innovative solutions, and invest in quality programs to end homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County, to open The Van Buren Family Shelter. This shelter will offer emergency accommodations for up to 85 families at one time, 910 families annually. Each family will have access to a private, family unit.
- Flying Horse Farms: The Flying Horse Farms enriches the lives of children with serious illness and their families by providing magical, transforming fun through medically safe, cost-free camping experiences. They will use the $25,000 Impact Grant to help support the 2015 summer camps with approximately 390 children with serious illness and their siblings.
- Gladden Community House: Aimed at preserving and strengthening the well-being of the community and its members and inspiring community members to resolve their problems and control the shape of their lives, the Gladden Community House will use the $25,000 Impact Grant to add additional staffing for gym activities and tutoring for the afterschool Learn4Life program within the community center.
- The Godman Guild: The Godman Guild promotes strong families and strong communities in Columbus, primarily in the Near Northside. They will use the $25,000 Impact Grant towards the Blue Bowtie Café and Vending, which provides healthy, affordable meal options for 500 students and their children, in addition to providing job training and part-time transitional employment for five community residents.
- The Heinzerling Foundation: With a mission to provide a loving and nurturing environment that enriches the development, education and quality of life of individuals with severe or profound developmental disabilities, The Heinzerling Foundation will use the $25,000 Impact Grant to purchase ceiling lifts and lift swings for safely transporting residents in their facilities.
- Lutheran Social Services: To create a better world by serving people in need, Lutheran Social Services received a $50,000 Impact Grant to complete funding to purchase a new Mobile Food Pantry refrigerated truck that will be used to support the LSS Food Pantry operations, primarily serving LSS Delaware County Food Pantry.
- Mid-Ohio FoodBank: Helping to end hunger one nourishing meal at a time and co-create a sustainable community where everyone thrives, the Mid-Ohio FoodBank will apply a $50,000 Impact Grant to outfit and launch the café and market spaces at the upcoming Reeb Community Center, set to open August 2015.
- St. Vincent Family Center: Providing pediatric behavioral health care within a learning community to change the lives of children and families, St. Vincent Family Center will use the $25,000 Impact Grant for critical technology in 13 Therapeutic School classrooms, including a smart board, projector, and tablets to increase student engagement.
- Unverferth House: Providing housing for families of critical care patients at The Ohio State University Medical Center, Unverferth House will apply the $25,000 Impact Grant toward the purchase of mattresses, box springs, frames, headboards, and new furnace equipment.
Seven of the fourteen were first-time recipients of Safelite’s annual Impact Grant. Applications were reviewed by members of the Safelite AutoGlass® Foundation, a volunteer committee, and selected by the breadth and depth of impact the grant would have on the local community. The Foundation received 77 grant requests this year. Funding for the Impact Grants is made possible by the Foundation’s Annual Charity Golf Classic, which also funds a number of other donations made by the Foundation. Presenting sponsors of the 2014 Safelite AutoGlass Charity Classic were Sika Corporation®, Asahi Glass Corporation, Pilkington NA/NSG Group, and Fuyao Glass; founding partners were Adrian Steel®, Auto Temp Inc., InstallerEDGE, and Ron Foth Advertising.“We feel humbled and blessed by each charitable organization we’re able to help through our Impact Grants,” said Safelite® President and CEO Tom Feeney. “Giving back to our community is simply the right thing to do. We thank our partners and employees who have made it possible, and we look forward to the good work of our Impact Grant recipients.”About The Safelite AutoGlass® Foundation Safelite AutoGlass® – the nation’s leading provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services – is committed to be a responsible member of the communities where we live and work. This includes those outside our doorstep and those across the world. As such the company supports employees’ charitable endeavors while also being a large fundraiser.The Safelite AutoGlass® Foundation was created in 2005 as the 501(c)(3) giving arm of the company aimed at supporting organizations that promote the health and well-being of families through monetary and in-kind contributions and volunteer hours. The Safelite AutoGlass® Foundation is set up as a separate entity, governed by company employees from the corporate offices and the field organization. The Foundation administers giving on behalf of Safelite® and its employees, disbursing aid to approved causes or charities, and organizing many giving initiatives in communities where our associates live and work.