The $50,000 Fifty Fund grant winner is the Academy Center of the Arts! Funds awarded will support "Opening Minds through Art." The ACOA will soon offer this national, best-practice therapeutic intervention designed by Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Ohio that promotes independence, social engagement, and self-expression among people with dementia.
The Century Fund finalists were as follows:
Bower Center of the Arts, Bedford, Virginia: "BCA Art for All" The award-winning Bower Center for the Arts (BCA) aims to make visual and performing arts available for all, to serve as a creative force and educational resource for the region, and to harness the economic vitality of the arts. The organization is raising funds to for the Historic Bower Center to restore and preserve this historic property, making the building both safe and functional for expanded community use. For more information, visit https://www.bowercenter.org/
Campbell County Training School Complex, Rustburg, VA: Restoration of Historic Rosenwald School The Campbell County Training School Complex Project's mission is to save and restore a historic school for use as a much-needed community center that will provide new economic and cultural opportunities. Impressive progress has been made to date. One building has been completed. The next step is environmental cleaning, in particular, lead and asbestos abatement in the remaining three buildings of the project. These buildings embody the history of the movement towards civil rights in public education for African Americans. For more information, visit https://campbellcountytrainingschoolcomplex.org/
Mary Bethune Academy, Lynchburg, VA: Playground Revitalization Project MBA’s mission is to provide a quality childcare program that promotes a nurturing and enriching early childhood learning experience. The project goal is to create an age-appropriate, risk-reduced playground that is hazard-free and supervision friendly. Installing age-appropriate play structures will facilitate fundamental movement skills and allow children of all abilities the opportunity to access structures designed to increase physical activity. For more information, visit http://marybethuneacademy.org/
Park View Community Mission, Lynchburg, VA: Sustainability and Safety Renovations Park View’s mission is to restore the lives of families and communities by building relationships and providing life-changing resources to anyone who is in need.The project is a bricks and mortar proposal to ensure sustainability and safety for all neighbors, employees, volunteers, and partners of Park View Community Mission. For more information, visit https://www.parkviewmission.org/
The Fifty Fund finalists were as follows:
Avoca Museum, Altavista, VA: Strategic Development Project Avoca Museum is seeking to expand its permanent exhibit offerings on the property. Two outbuildings, the Smokehouse and Milkhouse, are externally restored but need to be restored on the interior. This restoration would allow for two brand new permanent exhibits to be open at Avoca which would benefit any and all visitors to the property. For more information, visit http://www.avocamuseum.org/
Brook Hill Retirement Center for Horses, Forest, VA: Rockin' Riders Classroom and Instructor Brook Hill Farm helps both horses and people. There are currently 108 participants that are using the space dedicated to programs for people with more severe mental and physical disabilities. With the new instructor and classroom to work in during inclement weather, the organization can have more participants and enhance the experience for those they serve. For more information, visit https://brookhillfarm.org/
Jubilee Family Development Center, Lynchburg, VA: Bathrooms Renovation Project Jubilee Family Development Center provides high quality academic, athletic, and occupational programs that encourage personal, social, and spiritual growth and the stability of families. The boys’ and girls’ bathrooms in Jubilee’s main building have not been updated since Jubilee opened in 1999. The project goal is to provide modern toilets, new floors, stalls, lighting, hand-drying stations, sinks, and mirrors. For more information, visit: https://www.jubileefamily.org/
Mary Bethune Academy, Lynchburg, VA: Playground Revitalization Project MBA’s mission is to provide a quality childcare program that promotes a nurturing and enriching early childhood learning experience. The project goal is to create an age-appropriate, risk-reduced playground that is hazard-free and supervision friendly. Installing age-appropriate play structures will facilitate fundamental movement skills and allow children of all abilities the opportunity to access structures designed to increase physical activity. For more information, visit http://marybethuneacademy.org/
University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA: Emerging Grassroots Leader Development From the Ground Up-Developing Emerging Leaders program will expand leadership development within underserved neighborhoods throughout the city of Lynchburg. It is developed for grassroots community, neighborhood, and faith-based leaders who have the potential to expand their own leadership capacity and will culminate in a community capstone project. For more information: https://www.lynchburg.edu/