June 17, 2008 - At a check presentation reception held Tuesday, June 17th, local charitable organizations received grants from the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation.
Three grants were awarded through the Leading Ladies Giving Circle: Bikers against Child Abuse received $1,000; The Breast Cancer Resource Center received $15,000; the Literacy Council of Williamson County received $6,500; and the Meals on Wheels Program received $3,500. This is the second round of grants distributed by the Leading Ladies Giving Circle, a group that consists of members donating $1,100 each who decide collectively how to grant their pooled funds. The Leading Ladies granted $24,000 their inaugural year and a total of $26,000 this year. The Ladies have also created an endowment fund at the Foundation, which they have set aside to be invested and from which grants will be made in perpetuity.
The $1,000 donation to Bikers Against Child Abuse will supply 10 abused children who are "adopted" by their group with a teddy bear, a vest with the BACA patch and personal name patch, a certificate saying they are protected by their BACA family, a BACA blanket, and Polaroid pictures of the "adoption" ceremony.
The $15,000 to the Breast Cancer Resource Center will benefit their Diagnostic Service Fund, used to obtain services for women not qualifying for existing public assistance programs for the working poor, uninsured, or under insured.
The Literacy Council's $6,500 donation will benefit the Project Moving Up. Program staff and volunteers will teach adults to read and help high school dropouts earn a GED. Funds will be used for student support for books, financial aid grants to cover student program fees, and GED testing fee scholarships and volunteer/student recruitment and recognition, plus staff and volunteer training.
The Meals on Wheels Program of Williamson Burnet County Opportunities will receive $3,500 and will provide gas cards to promote volunteer retention and appreciation and to increase the pool of drivers to deliver meals to the homebound.
The Maxwell Fund also awarded a $9,000 grant to the Austin Jazz Workshop to provide in class music instruction. The Maxwell Family created their fund in December 2007. The family meets to review proposals from non-profits and together, determine to what causes they will donate.
The Austin Jazz Workshop was formed in 1994. The workshops mentor and perform for public school students in order to encourage their participation in band, orchestra, and choir performances. According to Michael Melinger, founder:
"The biggest challenge is in changing the perception that art and music are nonessential areas of instruction in public education. Due to the increase of PE time requirements by the Texas State Legislature, schools have cut the amount of time allotted to music education. And, recent district-wide budget cuts have led to fewer music ad art teachers teaching larger classes with less equipment, and some programs such as elementary school choirs have disappeared as a result. In more affluent areas of the Round Rock ISD, parent volunteers have stepped in to take up the slack. But in the Title One areas of town where single-parent or working parent families are more prevalent, children have seen their arts opportunities disappear along with the decrease in staff."
The goal of the Austin Jazz Workshop is to give each student a sense of history, artistry, and performance practice of American jazz music and to inspire in them a desire to become musical participants. The donation from the Maxwell Family Fund will help them reach that goal by providing funding to hold classes in every elementary school in the Round Rock Independent School District.
The Maxwell Fund distributed four additional grants to the Annunciation Maternity Home, Hope Alliance, YMCA of Williamson County and Any Baby Can for a total of $21,000 in May.
The Greater Round Rock Community Foundation, with assets of $1.2 million, was formed in March 2004. A community foundation is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people in a local area. It enables people with philanthropic interests to easily and effectively support the issues they care about-immediately, or through their estate planning. Donors can establish a charitable fund through the foundation by contributing a variety of assets and may also recommend grants-in their name, if they choose-to nonprofit groups they want to support.