Gift to Augusta University Health
The Community Foundation matched a contribution by the Augusta National and granted $1,000,000 to Augusta University Health to expand its testing capabilities. These dollars were used to pay for supplies and professional staff for the AU Health prescreening app, the drive through testing facilities, as well as lab processing. Due to this support, there is now a less than 24 waiting period for testing results, testing volume has significantly increased, and AU Health has been able to use its capacity to serve as a reference lab for other parts of the region.
The Following Nonpfrofit Organizations Have Been Funded Through The CSRA COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
Funded on April 3rd – $295,000.00
United Way 2-1-1 ($50,000) – This grant will provide direct financial assistance, including rent/mortgage payments, utilities, medical needs, childcare and transportation, to individuals affected by COVID-19 in Richmond and Columbia Counties.
The Salvation Army ($75,000) – Funding will support the conversion of the Center of Hope emergency shelter program from an overnight only shelter into a 24-hour emergency shelter that aims to protect the homeless population from exposure to and spread of the virus, and provide safe shelter and food for approximately 120 men, women and children. Funding will also help cover costs associated with moving and expanding the daily evening feeding program. This program is open to the public for dinner and is now at the Kroc Center.
Family Connection ($75,000) – This grant will primarily focus on bringing resources to rural counties. Due to COVID-19, Family Connection sites are receiving large numbers of requests for assistance with food, rent, utilities and other supportive services. They are also helping families bridge the technology gap so children without access to the internet can continue to learn from their homes.
Golden Harvest Food Bank ($50,000) – Providing food in 25 counties across two states, Golden Harvest is working with food pantries, soup kitchens and school systems to meet the increased demand for food due to COVID-19. Funding will support the purchase of food to provide an additional 50,000 meals to residents in our communities who need it most.
Family YMCA of Greater Augusta ($25,000) The Family Y is operating a childcare program that serves children of first responders and other essential personnel in the region who must continue to work. The grant will support the cost of providing free childcare at four Family Y locations. The grant will also help provide emergency meals for families in need.
Economic Opportunity Authority (EOA)($20,000) – Funding will place families with children who are currently being sheltered at the Center for Hope in permanent housing and provide supportive services to stabilize their family situation and prevent future homelessness. Additional assistance will be directed toward several other families living in rural communities who are in danger of becoming homeless due to COVID-19.
Funded on April 7th – $160,000.00
ACTS of Aiken ($50,000) – This grant will support vulnerable populations in the communities of Aiken, Wagner, Jacksonville and Graniteville. Services may shift based on the changing needs of those communities but will include assistance with food, prescriptions, rental and utility assistance.
Community Ministries of North Augusta ($40,000) – This grant will help individuals in need due to COVID-19 in the greater North Augusta and Edgefield areas. Support services will include food, rental and utility assistance.
Child Enrichment ($35,000) – Due to sheltering in place and family stresses related to COVID-19, Child Enrichment is seeing an increase in reported incidents of child abuse. The increase has required them to perform more forensic interviews and offer additional support and counseling services than normal. This grant will help facilitate the additional staffing hours needed to provide these services and help with costs associated with the technology needed to safely provide internet-based services.
New Bethlehem Community Center ($20,000) – Even in good times, the Bethlehem community relies on the New Bethlehem Community Center to help with food security and other essential services. Due to COVID-19 and school closures, the Center is seeing a large increase in need for food, medical supplies and other essential services related to both the elderly and families with children. This grant will help with their food and medical supply distribution programs.
Broad Street Ministries ($10,000) – While this ministry serves individuals regardless of where they live, it is a lifeline to individuals in need living in the greater East Augusta area. Due to COVID-19, they have seen a dramatic increase in the number of individuals seeking their help. This grant will help purchase food and other essential items.
Concerned Women ($5,000) – This grant will allow Concerned Women to purchase additional food to meet the growing need for their assistance. Although they work with individuals from multiple counties, they are based in Columbia County and are readily available to those residents who have been impacted by the current crisis.
Funded on April 17th – $121,000.00
Boys and Girls Clubs of the CSRA ($45,000) – This grant will support an online academic assistance program created by Boys and Girls Clubs of the CSRA to provide structure and support for distance learning environments. Working with youth and families enrolled in Boys and Girls Clubs, the program is designed to fill technology gaps, help parents who may not have the skills necessary to home school their children, and provide a routine that keeps the students on schedule for promotion.
theClubhou.se ($30,000) – A small business incubator and nonprofit, theClubhou.se has been asked by various public health providers to produce personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly face masks, using their 3D printers. These dollars will allow theClubhou.se to scale this production effort and provide PPE to local hospitals and first responders in the CSRA area. Artists and gig workers who are unemployed due to COVID-19 will be hired to help with this effort.
Miracle Making Ministries, Inc. ($16,000) – This grant will help the Druid Park based health clinic with additional costs for PPE, staff hours and technology needs associated with COVID-19. Additionally, these dollars will provide prescription assistance for existing patients who are suffering from hardships brought about by the virus.
The Bridge Ministry of the CSRA ($20,000) The Bridge Ministry has been on the front lines of helping the homeless and those living in extreme poverty in our community for years. This grant will help them to purchase additional food which will serve the hard to access populations in Columbia, Richmond, Wilkes, and Lincoln Counties.
The Mosaic Center ($10,000) – This grant will help purchase food and provide other supportive services to residents who are living in Maxwell House Apartments in downtown Augusta. Many of the residents work in as-needed jobs in the hotel/hospitality industry. Due to COVID-19, most residents have not had the opportunity to work and need assistance.
Funded on April 24th – $170,000.00
SafeHomes ($50,000) – Due to COVID-19’s shelter in place directives and pressures around loss of income, SafeHomes is seeing an increase in women and children who are fleeing from domestic abuse or who need resources to help with stressors in the home. This grant will help pay for those needed resources to include costs associated with housing additional families and providing hotels when the shelter has no available space.
Community Medical Clinic of Aiken County (CMCAC) ($30,000) – This grant will help this health clinic with the increased costs for additional personal protective equipment (PPE), staff hours and technology associated with COVID-19. Additionally, these dollars will provide prescription assistance for patients who are suffering from hardships brought about by the virus.
CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, Inc. (EOA) ($25,000) – Due to COVID-19, EOA is receiving an increased number of calls from individuals needing housing assistance. This grant will help stabilize those individuals, providing needed resources that will allow them to stay in their home and not become homeless. Also, dollars will be used to help people find housing who have been evicted due to a loss of income.
ForcesUnited ($25,000) – During the COVID-19 crisis, ForcesUnited remains dedicated to connecting warriors and their families with resources that improve and stabilize their lives. This grant will assist with the escalating needs faced by these individuals who have raised their hand to serve our country and will include assistance with employment, housing and food needs due to this pandemic.
Christ Community Health Services ($20,000) – Masks have proven to be a vital part of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Through a partnership with Carole Fabrics, Christ Community will use these dollars to purchase 4,000 locally made masks and distribute them to patients of Christ Community Health Services and other vulnerable populations in the greater Augusta area.
Communities in School of Augusta Richmond County (CIS) ($15,000) – This grant will provide vital services such as assistance with shelter and utility costs, food, medical needs, transportation costs and childcare to families impacted by COVID-19 that have been referred to CIS by school principals, teachers and counselors in both the Richmond and Columbia County school systems.
Burn Foundation of America ($5,000) – Due to hospital visitor restrictions because of COVID-19, families are unable to visit with family members who are receiving treatment at the JMS Burn Center at Doctors Hospital. Connection to family has proven to be a vital piece of a person’s ability to heal from critical burns, and many patients do not have access to their own devices during treatment. This grant will pay for tablets that will allow families to visit remotely while the patient receives care.
Funded on April 30th – $170,000.00
That’s What Friends are For ($50,000) – Due to COVID-19 animals are being abandoned at an alarming rate. To address fostering, food and vetting needs and to help animals stay in their existing homes where family resources may be scarce, five animal rescue groups will work together throughout eight counties to making sure these animals stay in their homes, or if fostered stay in good health until they can once again start their adoption programs.
Ronald McDonald House ($25,000) – In preparation of making the house fully operational again, Ronald McDonald House will incur extraordinary costs associated with cleaning the facility to a COVID-19 standard. Once the house is again fully operational those costs will continue to be a burden on the program. This grant will help pay for those critical services so that residents who have fragile health diagnosis will be safe while seeking treatment at the hospital.
Woodlawn UMC Preschool and Child Development Center ($25,000) – Providing childcare to the children of first responder and critical workers who are working through the COVID-19 crisis. They are also providing a food pantry for the parents of the child enrolled in their care. Finally it will also cover the costs associated with daycare cleaning and PPE requirements.
GAP Ministries ($20,000) – Assist with the added costs for their food and diaper distribution, and prescription program. The grant will also help them with the costs of PPE needed to allow for food distribution due to COVID-19. All three programs are seeing higher numbers of request, it is also becoming more expensive to secure needed items.
Giving Kitchen ($15,000) – Due to COVID-19 and its impact on restaurants, the Giving Kitchen has seen a surge in requests for assistance from food service workers throughout the CSRA. This grant will allow them to provide additional financial aid around rent, utilities and food to those individuals in our area.
Hope House ($15,000) – Due to COVID-19 and job losses residents of Hope House are not able to pay for Child Care for their children while they are in meetings and counseling sessions. Hope house has quickly established an on-site childcare program for these needs. This grant will help pay for this program.
The Hale Foundation ($15,000) – Men who are in treatment at The Hale Foundation have also found themselves out of work due to COVID-19. This means they are temporarily unable to financially support a portion of the cost of their treatment and living expenses. This grant will allow the program to cover some of the costs associated with the men’s treatment so they will not have any disruptions to their recovery.
Augusta Dream Center ($5,000) – The Augusta Dream Center has seen a dramatic increase in food requests in South Augusta. This grant will assist with the purchase of food for the elderly and shut ins who are in need.
Funded on May 7th – $142,000.00
Lydia Project ($60,000) – This grant will assist women and men who are receiving services through Lydia Project as they are being treated for cancer. Funds will be used for increased needs around transportation, sheltering, medications and PPE. Where there has been a job loss, it will assist with utility and rent payments so they can maintain a stable living environment while their family member is being treated.
Greater Augusta Arts Council ($50,000) – Due to COVID-19, our local artists have experienced a significant loss of income due to social distancing requirements, closures of performance venues and cancellation of events, shows and classes. To help them through this crisis, nine local arts organizations have come together to provide financial support to this community.
Children’s Place ($15,000) – Due to COVID-19, Children’s Place has worked quickly to develop a framework of support for fragile families who are sheltering in place, have lost jobs or have experienced other life trauma. This grant will help these families with food, rent, utilities and remote counseling services.
Columbia County Cares ($7,000) – This food pantry in Appling normally assists 300 families per month with food. Since the onset of COVID-19, they are serving most of these families on a weekly basis and are also serving many new families who have never had to ask for food support. This grant will help them purchase additional food to meet the increased demand.
Compass for Hope ($5,000) – Working with homeless people in our community, Compass for Hope goes into some of the most remote areas to make sure that this
group of people have food during this time. This grant will help them secure food and purchase PPE so they can distribute these resources while keeping everyone safe.
Easterseals East Georgia ($5,000) – Individuals with disabilities who work through the Easterseals program have continued to provide essential services to the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To make sure these individuals stay healthy, they have increased costs associated with PPE and cleaning supplies. This grant will assist them with those costs.
Funded May 21st – $65,000.00
The Salvation Army ($40,000) – Throughout this crisis, our local Salvation Army has been sheltering a large number of the homeless population to prevent exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus. This grant will allow them to continue this viral work. Funding will also help cover the continued costs associated with their seven day a week evening meal program distributed from the Kroc Center and offered at no charge to anyone who needs a meal.
Mask It Up ($15,000) – Masks have proven to be a vital part of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Through a partnership with Carole Fabrics and United Way of the CSRA, these dollars will purchase 3,000 locally made masks and will be distributed to vulnerable populations in the greater Augusta area.
Miles for Cystic Fibrosis ($10,000) – This grant will provide vital services such as assistance with transportation, shelter and utility costs, provide food and assist with medical needs for those living in our area who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and have a family member with Cycstic Fibrosis.
Funded on June 5th – $45,600.00
American Red Cross ($20,000) – Providing direct services throughout the CSRA in times of natural disaster the Red Cross has expanded their work to assist people who have been adversely affected by COVID-19. Services include help with utilities and housing; and also delivering mental health services to our local veterans who are experiencing issues that have been exacerbated due to social isolation.
Jud C. Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Inc. ($8,100) – In order to once again offer their services, the Center has a critical need for PPE and other equipment that will allow them to make sure their fragile Senior community can return to a healthy, safe day facility environment. This grant will assist in paying for these needs.
MACH Academy, Inc. ($7,500) – Many of our youth did not have the resources needed to complete the school year and so have fallen behind. MACH Academy will work with some of these youth during their summer tennis and academic camps, helping day-campers with academic enrichment activities. This grant will provide sanitation station and laptops so they can have required social distance protocols in place on the tennis courts and while campers are inside tutoring.
Brown Girls Code ($5,000) – This program for African American girls will expand their school year program into the summer so they can provide needed resources to help students with their academics during the summer so they don’t fall any further behind and are ready to start school in the fall. This grant will help cover the costs of the technology needed to provide these services.
When Help Can’t Wait ($5,000) – There are many low-income Seniors living in nursing homes throughout our community who have no family support. When Help Can’t Wait provides essential items such as clothing and toiletries to these medically fragile individuals. This grant will help them cover the costs of these requested items.
Funded on June 18th – $135,500.00
Family Connections, Inc. ($50,000) – This grant will primarily focus on bringing resources to rural counties. Due to COVID-19, Family Connection sites are receiving large numbers of requests for assistance with food, rent, utilities, medical expenses and other supportive services. This second grant to Family Connection will continue to send resources to these communities.
143 Ministries International ($20,000) – Working as part of a collaborative with local churches, schools and nonprofits, 143 Ministries is serving as the point agency to coordinate volunteers who are preparing meals and delivering food boxes to elderly and low-income families with children during the summer months. This grant will be used to assist in delivering these services.
Burn Foundation of America ($20,000) – The Chavis House is a critical part of health service deliver to burn patients who are receiving medical care at the Doctors Hospital Burn Center and their families. PPE and specialized equipment are needed to provide this home away from home to these fragile burn patients. This grant will help pay for those needs.
Downtown Cooperative Church Ministries (DCCM) ($15,000) – With a long history of providing food to individuals in need, DCCM has seen a rise in demand both through referrals and walk-ins throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. This grant will help them meet the increased demand through the purchase of food for the food pantry
Veterans K-9 Solutions, Inc. ($5,500) – Our veterans suffering from PTSD have experienced renewed mental trauma through social isolation and we are seeing the after affects at alarming rates. Part of successful therapy can include the aid of a service dog. This grant will help pay for additional professional training for these animals so that more dogs can serve in this life saving role.
Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN) ($25,000) – This grant will provide scholarships to local CSRA non-profit organizations to attend a resiliency course so they can be stronger organizations after the 2020 pandemic and continue their work helping our communities become stronger.
Funded July 2 through July 30 – $140,000.00
Apparo Academy ($25,000) – Apparo Academy provides educational and medical services to medically fragile children. Due to COVID-19 many of their parents continue to be out of work. This grant will allow Apparo Academy to provide childcare scholarships to these families and help pay for needed PPE.
Augusta Technical College Foundation ($20,000) – Due to school closures, students attending Augusta Tech who didn’t have proper technology at home were having to drop out of school. To help these low-income students, the school began a laptop and hotspot lending program. This grant will purchase and provide loaner laptops so students can continue their coursework.
Center for New Beginnings ($25,000) – Working with children who have all types of learning disabilities, the Center for New Beginnings offers educational opportunities and therapy in a loving nurturing environment. This grant will allow them to continue their services by assisting with PPE, cleaning services and the technology needed in a COVID-19 learning environment.
Changing Faces, Inc. ($5,000) – Changing Faces works with many individuals who are living on the edge of homelessness. This grant will give them additional resources to purchase food and provide rental assistance for those adversely impacted by COVID-19.
Harrisburg Health Center ($20,000) – Harrisburg Family Health Care is a free charitable family practice clinic that serves the entire CSRA. This grant will allow them to safely resume operations in a COVID-19 environment by providing resources to pay for ongoing needs around PPE, a professional cleaning service, and an air filtration system.
Heritage Academy ($20,000) – Heritage Academy offers a quality education to children of diverse economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Nearly 100% of the children who attend the school receive some type of financial assistance. Due to the economic impact of being out of work on these financially vulnerable families, it is critical that the school open so the parents can return to work. This grant will provide funds to purchase air filtration systems and PPE to ensure the children will have a safe learning environment.
New Bethlehem Community Center ($25,000) – Long a part of the fabric of the Laney Walker – Bethlehem Community, New Bethlehem has been a key partner in helping to provide food to families in need. The need during COVID-19 has seen a dramatic increase in numbers served and the frequency of requests. This grant will allow them to help meet the increased need.
Funded August 2 through August 27 – $279,100.00
The Salvation Army ($12,600) – This grant is to provide scholarships to attend a four-week camp for children in low-income areas of Richmond and Aiken counties, with a focus on families in the Harrisburg community. These scholarships will allow parents whose income has been impacted by COVID-19 the opportunity to return to work knowing their children are being supervised in a safe, educational setting.
143 Ministries International ($15,000) – This grant will assist individuals who were financially impacted by COVID-19 with living expenses and treatment costs associated with their recovery process.
Augusta Urban Ministries ($10,000) – Working as part of a collaborative referral process with local non-profits to provide secure storage for personal belongings of those evicted during COVID-19 so, once housing has been re-obtained, individuals will have their personal belongings for use in their new home.
Family Connection, Inc./Communities in Schools (CIS) ($70,000) – This grant will provide vital services to individuals impacted by COVID-19 in nine rural Georgia counties. Assistance will include utility payments, food, medical needs, transportation costs, technology assistance for distance learning, childcare and PPE supplies.
Economic Opportunity Authority (EOA) ($30,000) – In collaboration with Family Connections, Inc., the EOA will assist families financially impacted by COVID-19 with rent or mortgage payments with the goal to keep these families from becoming homeless.
ACTS of Aiken ($50,000) – This grant will assist with utility, rent, food and medical needs for vulnerable populations in the communities of Aiken, McCormick and Edgefield Counties of South Carolina, with a focus on areas surrounding the city of Aiken.
Community Ministries of North Augusta ($40,000) – This grant will assist with utility, rent, food and medical needs for vulnerable populations impacted by the pandemic in the communities of Aiken, McCormick and Edgefield Counties of South Carolina, with a focus on areas surrounding the city of North Augusta.
United Way 2-1-1 ($50,000) – This grant will provide direct financial assistance, including rent/mortgage payments, utilities, medical needs, childcare and transportation, to individuals affected by COVID-19 in Richmond and Columbia Counties.
University of South Carolina – Aiken ($1,500) – This grant will support and provide a safe environment for students in Music majors who are required to learn “onsite,” with a focus on the choral and piano programs. The grant will support the purchase of special sanitizing equipment for the instruments and special PPE for the choral members.
Funded September 1 through October 31 – $31,700.00
The Mosaic Center ($7,500) – This grant will help purchase food and provide other supportive services to residents who are living in Maxwell House Apartments, a low-income housing community,and will also assist veterans who are struggling financially due to COVID-19.
Communities in Schools (CIS) ($18,200) – Since the spring, schools have found that due to a lack of technology in many homes, a large number of children have experienced a substantial learning loss. This grant will put an additional tutor in two different inner-city elementary schools that currently work with CIS. The tutors, working with the teachers, will provide one on one tutoring and support that these children so desperately need.
Health Collaborative ($6,000) – Harrisburg Family Health Center, Druid Park Community Health Center, AU College of Nursing. These three agencies will provide flu shots to low-income and homeless individuals without insurance. With access to the flu shots, these individuals will stay healthier as we enter the flu season. In turn, this will assist the healthcare community with proper diagnosis and care and will reduce the overburdening of emergency rooms who are still dealing with daily COVID-19 admissions.
Funded to Nonprofits – $1,755,150.00
Plus $1,000,000 to Augusta University Health