Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola, INC. REAP's Women's Re-Entry Portal - Pathways for Success Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Health & Wellness | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed In 2013, United States Federal District Court Judge Casey Rodgers was concerned with the high rate of recidivism reflected by the probationers appearing before her court and formed the Re-Entry Alliance Program, (REAP), as a mentoring program for the recently released federal probationers. Local attorneys volunteered to act as the program's mentors. During the ensuing years local business leaders volunteered to assist more ex-felons with their many post-incarceration needs. In 2017 and 2018, the Florida Legislature appropriated $200,000 to partially fund the Pensacola Re-Entry Portal, with the balance of funding coming from local sources. To date, REAP has provided comprehensive transitional services including housing to more than 400 returning citizens, while maintaining a recidivist rate of less than 15%, far below other re-entry programs....

KlaasKIDS Foundation Missing Child Response & Child Exploitation Prevention Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Health & Wellness | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed Created in 2003, the mission of KlaasKIDS Foundation is to stop crimes against children through the deployment of a professional response team and by offering preventative education and child safety events within our community. The local organization provides professionally trained search managers to assist organizing a comprehensive community response to a missing child case as well as provides professionally certified search and rescue technicians and specially trained canines to search for the lost, missing and abducted. As a protection initiative, the organization deploys intelligence analysts to assist federal, state and local law enforcement agencies during child trafficking sting operations. Immediate counseling, transportation, and services are provided to rescued victims. Free digital fingerprinting, DNA kits and child safety information is given to families in Escambia and Santa Rosa...

Opening Doors Northwest Florida, INC. Opening Doors on a Mission to Reach, Respond, Restore Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Health & Wellness | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed In 1987, the Escambia Coalition on the Homeless was formed to promote and coordinate community efforts to reduce homelessness as well as to establish an alliance of organizations and individuals interested in assuring the availability of shelter, healthcare, and related services for the homeless in Escambia County. In March 2000, the organization expanded its outreach and services to include Santa Rosa County and changed its name to the EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless (ECOH). In April 2018, ECOH launched a major rebrand initiative to reintroduce the agency as Opening Doors Northwest Florida, Inc (Opening Doors). The new name represents the organization's new, centralized multi-organization system called "Coordinated Entry" that is changing the way homelessness is addressed in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties....

Sacred Heart Foundation, INC. "Paw"erful Medicine - Using Animal-Assisted Therapy to Make "Ruff" Days a Little Brighter Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Family | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The mission of the Sacred Heart Foundation (the Foundation) is to be a philanthropic advocate in support of Sacred Heart Health System actively encouraging contributions and volunteer participation to support the work of Sacred Heart hospitals to improve health care and social services for the sick and poor of all ages in our region. In 1984, Sacred Heart Foundation was formed as a nonprofit, philanthropic organization committed to enhancing the current and future healthcare needs of the Gulf Coast by supporting Sacred Heart Health System’s programs, capital building and equipment needs. The original Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital facilities, built in 1959 to better serve the very distinct needs of a growing community, no longer accommodate the technologies and level of expertise...

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, INC. There's No Place Like Home Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Family | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The mission of the Big Brothers Big Sisters is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor-supported and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles). Big Brothers Big Sisters partners with parents/guardians, volunteers and others in the community and holds themselves accountable for each child in the program achieving higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors, and educational success. Current programs include Community Based Mentoring,...

 Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola, INC.  Veterans Memorials Lighting Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Environment, Recreation & Preservation | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The mission of the Veterans Memorial Park Foundation (the Foundation) is to collaborate with the City of Pensacola and work as Advocate, Provider, Steward and Protector for the Park. The Park exists to honor the sacrifice of all those killed in service of their country to all the residents of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, as well as visitors to our area. Areas of support provided by the Foundation include but are not limited to assisting the City in developing and advancing a unifying theme, providing for the ongoing maintenance, preservation, and improvement of the Park, educating the community about the Park and its mission and holding the sacrifice of those memorialized there as worthy of their gratitude, respect and emulation. Additionally, the Foundation promotes...

Miracle League of Santa Rosa County Miracle Field of Dreams Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Environment, Recreation & Preservation | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The Miracle League of Santa Rosa County (Miracle League) was formed in July 2017 for charitable purposes to provide a safe and organized baseball league for the mentally and physically challenged members of the community, to promote community support and sponsorship, and to construct and maintain special facilities that meet the unique needs of Miracle League players and their families. This models the national Miracle League motto: “Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play Baseball”. The all-volunteer board is comprised of many of the organizers of the extremely successful Night to Shine, which provides an unforgettable prom night experience for people with special needs. Additionally, there are currently 450 background-checked volunteers and Miracle League is actively recruiting more. The current focus of Miracle League is...

Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, INC. Swim, Soar, and Fly into Science Inspiring Hands-on Exploration of Our Natural World Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Education | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Complete The mission of the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation, Inc. (ECPSF) is to enhance education in Escambia County by investing in our children’s future to ensure they graduate on-time and are college or career ready. ECPSF was established in 1986 as a direct support organization for the Escambia County School District. ECPSF partners with the private sector to positively impact a school district of over 44,000 students and over 2,500 teachers. The ECPSF serves as a fiduciary direct support organization for the Escambia County School District, including the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center (RHEC). The mission of the RHEC is to assist students in mastering science concepts and processes through the integration of science disciplines in studying the...

Emerald Coast wildlife refuge, Inc Return to the Wild Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Education | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The mission of Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge (ECWR) is education, conservation and rehabilitation for the welfare of Florida’s natural fauna. ECWR is a nonprofit organization made up of caring staff and dedicated volunteers who rescue, rehabilitate and release Native Florida Wildlife including marine mammals in the five northwestern Gulf Coast counties from Pensacola to Panama City. In September 1994, ECWR was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In 2017, ECWR received its largest donation of 2 1/4 acres of undeveloped land in Santa Rosa County. The donated land is pristine wildlife habitat, loaded with heritage live oak trees, endangered longleaf pines, flowering bushes, wild blueberry, blackberry, and yaupon. In short, it is the ideal environment for wild animal patients to rehabilitate...

Pyramid, Inc. Bringing the Arts to the Underserved in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Arts & Culture | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The mission of Pyramid, Inc. (Pyramid) is to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; care about the people they serve, their staff and each other; provide uncompromised service; believe in what they do; and make a difference. Pyramid, Inc. was formed in 1994 as a 501(c)(3) corporation to provide unique therapeutic, educational and cultural opportunities to adults with severe developmental disabilities. Pyramid's students suffer from both mental and physical health challenges, such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, bipolar disorder, blindness, epilepsy, autism, Down syndrome, mental retardation and traumatic head injury. Pyramid Pensacola is one of five sister organizations located throughout the state of Florida. Each Pyramid location is financed and managed as an independent organization. In Pensacola, the...

Pensacola high school band boosters association, inc. Music is for Everyone Grant Year: 2018 | Focus Area: Arts & Culture | Grant Amount: $100,300 | Grant Status: Completed The Pensacola High School (PHS) Band Boosters Association (the Boosters) was founded in 1978 with a mission to provide financial and volunteer support to the Bands of Pensacola High School. Membership is comprised of parents of current band students at PHS. The Boosters support PHS, Pensacola's oldest and only inner-city high school. Since 1980, PHS has been the high school center for the English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and hosted students from nearly every continent. Additionally the International Baccalaureate (IB) program has graduated over 2,000 students since the program began in 1986. Over the last five years, the Boosters have become much more active, increasing membership and financial support to the band program at PHS. Current programs of the Boosters include a new...