The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist Ethelwyn Doolittle Justice and Outreach Fund 2011-12 Grants Grant Renewals THE REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT FUND (RIF) $3,000 (2010-11 Grant - $3,000) The Refugee and Immigrant Fund (R.I.F.) has run an Asylum Help Center in Astoria, Queens, for the past five years. It provides early critical psycho-legal services for asylum-seekers. This year, Doolittle funds will sponsor a farm intern at the Queens County Museum Farm and a volunteer at the Queens Botanical Garden which grows vegetables for a food pantry. The interns learn new skills in green jobs and urban farming, while recovering psychologically from the aftermath of torture and persecution in their countries of origin. Funds will be used to cover the $400. per-month stipend intended for monthly metro- cards and food gift vouchers. NYC NEW SANCTUARY COALITION $5,000 (2009-10 GRANT - $5,000. 2010-11 GRANT - $5,000) This organization, of which CCNY has been an active member since 2009, is an interfaith network of congregations, organizations, and individuals, standing publicly in solidarity with families and communities resisting detention and deportation in order to stay together. We recognize that unjust global and systemic economic relationships and racism form the basis of the injustices that affect immigrants. We seek reform of United States immigration laws to promote fairness, social and economic justice. The NYC New Sanctuary Coalition was successful, in its work with Make the Road, to persuade the NYC Council to change the law to limit access of ICE officers at Rikers. Also, it successfully persuaded Governor Cuomo to suspend so-called Secure Communities (the stop and frisk of immigrants) in NY State. The grant will continue to support the full time Community Organizer/Coordinator.
BRIDGE STREET DEVELOPMENT CORP. $3,040 (2009-10 GRANT - $10,000 2010-11 GRANT - $5,000) Active since 1995 the Bridge Street Development Corp, a faith-based organization, builds partnerships with businesses, government and other community stakeholders to provide civic and economic opportunities to residents in Central Brooklyn. BSDC has been continuing to renovate apartments for low and moderate-income families. The Doolittle Grant will continue to provide partial support for BSDC s Community Organizer, working to empower very low income residents. IFCO/PASTORS FOR PEACE $1500 (2010-11 GRANT - $3500) The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) was founded in 1967 to advance the struggles of oppressed people for justice and self-determination. This grant will support the delivery of 100+ tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba, via the annual Peace Friendshipment Caravan. The aid will include medical supplies and equipment, computers, construction tools and supplies for distribution throughout Cuba by an Ecumenical Distribution Committee of Cuban pastors. ESPERANTO LEAGUE FOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. $1,750 (2010-11 GRANT - $1750) The Esperanto League for North America supports a bilingual literate world, utilizing the easyto-learn language, Esperanto. It supports the equality of small and large languages and attempts to preserve the myriad of spoken languages that are in imminent danger of extinction. Two language symposia were held during the past year, including speakers on the disappearing languages. The award money will be used to organize and present the 4th annual Zamenhof Symposium, to be held in December, 2012, and possibly another language symposium in Spring, 2013. THE BEDFORD STUYVESANT YMCA $7,500 (2010-11 GRANT, $7500) The Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA has a long and distinguished track record of developing need based programs to support the economically challenged neighborhoods of Brooklyn. This year's grant to the Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA will enable two new sustainable rooftop gardens for children and youth to learn first hand how to green the planet.
THE SOJOURNERS IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTER VISITORS PROGRAM $6,000 (2010-11 GRANT - $6,000) For more than 12 years, the Sojourners Immigration Detention Visitor Project has recruited, trained and transported volunteers, matching them one-on-one with detained asylum seekers and other immigrants held in detention in the NYC metro area. This grant will continue our support of a new program to provide essential transitional services including food and local transportation for asylum seekers, recently released from detention, who have no family or access to other resources in the U.S. Sojourner volunteers locate housing in the community and provide one-to-one advocacy, cross-cultural orientation and a community network of caring support to these newcomers, as they find their place in American society. NEW GRANT RECIPIENTS 2011-2012 WOMEN S HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (WHEDCo) $5,000 WHEDCo was founded 20 years ago with the vision of restoring the South Bronx to its former vitality after the tragic deterioration that had begun in the 1970s. Deeply rooted in the community, WHEDCo provides essential opportunities to help low income families live independent, economically self sufficient lives. Their first projects were in restoring abandoned buildings and converting them into energy efficient low income housing. Since then they have branched out to develop a microenterprize project to help small businesses, a childcare program, programs for youth and family support and an urban rooftop farming initative. A grant of $5,000 from the Doolittle Fund will support the Family Support Services, specifically to enable vulnerable populations to remain in their own homes and communities. Through comprehensive case management, counseling, and crisis intervention WHEDco s Intensive Case Management (ICM) program helps each client set and meet individual goals that address the multiple issues affecting their lives, such as inadequate housing, family instability, abuse, lack of education, unemployment and lack of childcare. Over a quarter of all ICM clients are victims of domestic violence. WHEDco's social workers offer these women one-on-one and group counseling, help them create and implement safety plans, and provide assistance seeking safe environments and taking legal action.
THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE $3500 The Center For Global Justice is a multi-cultural, democratically-run, educational, research and service organization of practioners and educators from the Global South and the Global North. It is devoted to critical analysis of the processes and impacts of globalization, both local and international. The Center studies and encourages alternative socio-economic systems that conserve and share the world s cultural economic and environmental resources for the benefit of humankind. The Center was launched by academics from North and South America at a founding conference in 2004 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Its foreign and local members, its staff, local member-volunteers and activist board, foster research and education on rural Mexico s economic reality; The grant will be used towards a four part workshop to teach local campesinos how to organize farming cooperatives which will lead to local food self sufficiency. UU ROWE CAMP AND CONFERENCE CENTER, INC. WOODSIDE DIVERSITY PROGRAM $3,000 Rowe Camp, begun in Rowe, Mass., in 1924, is a Unitarian Universalist spiritual and educational non-profit organization that offers week-end conferences, retreats and summer camps for young people and adults to learn about themselves and each other, our cultures and the earth in a safe supportive environment. The Woodside Diversity Program makes an effort to be accessible for everyone, regardless of socio-economic status, by offering a sliding-fee scale and work-exchange opportunities, as well as scholarships for campers in financial need. The award money is to be used to provide a diversity-training program for camp staff to be educated in areas of cross-cultural communication, community-building, youth leadership and social change, incorporating UU principles and values. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST TRAUMA RESPONSE MINISTRY $3,000. The UU Trauma Response Ministry was originally formed by a team of UU ministers, following 9/11. Since then the group has expanded to include lay responders to provide a UU presence, when requested by UU ministers, congregations and communities in the wake of disaster and significant trauma. Recent responses were made to several tornadoes in the summer of 2011, which damaged a church and devastated areas in western Mass. and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Doolittle grant money will be used for the ongoing training of volunteers, incorporating UU values and principles in response to mass disasters and significant trauma.
COLLEGE & COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP [CCF] $5,000 The mission of this organization is to eliminate the individual and social barriers to education, civic participation and economic security for women with criminal convictions and their families. For the past 11 years, the CCF has been committed to helping formerly incarcerated women obtain college degrees. CCF understands the direct connection between lack of educational opportunities and high incarceration/recidivism rates, especially for communities of color. CCF works to bring fairness and equality to the type of opportunities that women with criminal convictions can access. This year s grant will specifically be used to help to hire an experienced social worker to provide more intense one-on-one support to their students, connecting them with services that stabilize their lives, thereby decreasing the number of crisis interventions necessary. UNITED ACTION CONNECTICUT [UACT] $2,500 This interfaith, multi-racial, multilingual organization of congregations and community institutions strives to make our communities better places to live and work by organizing congregations and encouraging them to seek the common good. UACT accomplishes their goals by identifying and developing leaders, enabling them with skills training, and empowering them to seek social justice with likeminded collective allies. This year s grant will be used to recruit leaders and core teams who will be the catalyst for Reclaiming Basic Healthcare for the 4,500 Legal Connecticut immigrants who were disenfranchised by the State Medical Assistance for Non-Citizens legislation passed in 2009 and upheld by the Supreme Court. THE MANTLE $3000 This is an internet forum for progressive critique for the shaping of social and political discourse. It is sponsored by the World Policy Institute. The $3000 grant will support a project to present a three day workshop on human rights to be held in Kashmir. The purpose of the workshop is to create a catalyst for international dialogue among policy-makers, academicians and local leaders to improve the quality of life in Kashmir. After the workshop, The Mantle will publish both a print and an online anthology from the workshop, to continue the dialogue.
THE GREATER NEW YORK LABOR-RELIGION COALITION $5000 The Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition brings together faith-based groups, unions and worker organizations to address critical issues facing low-waged workers and immigrants. The low-waged worker population is primarily immigrants and people of color who face unemployment, union-busting, political marginalization and anti-immigrant attacks. The Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition educates and engages the interfaith religious community on issues of worker rights and economic justice. A diverse, multi-ethnic organization with members in all five boroughs, its primary goal is build a sustainable, long-term alliance between faith community and labor movement in New York City while collaborating with local unions that are organizing low-wage and immigrant workers. The Coalition advocates for and works directly with the working poor to support their efforts to empower themselves to achieve basic human rights in the work place. The $5000 grant will be used for staff support to further coalition and capacity building on these important issues. FAMILIES FOR FREEDOM $5,000 Training immigrant advocates and promoting immigrant law reform, this grass roots organization is working to stop deportations to Haiti and to achieve public and private divestment from Corrections Corporation of America, the largest for profit prison management company. Among other initiatives, they are active in the immigrant working group of OWS. Families for Freedom will use the grant to help pay for another full time organizer. The grant will be a great boost to the salary making the wage competitive. THE PUBLIC PRIVATE ALLIANCE FOUNDATION $1,000 The Public Private Alliance Foundation brings together and fosters collaboration with business, non-profit, governmental, and community interests to stimulate entrepreneurship and commerce related activities in poor rural areas, and achieves through collaborative efforts sustainable rural development so those in poverty become more self-reliant. The Doolittle award will support the testing of new efficient cook stoves for commercial use in Haiti.