MAKING A DIFFERENCE
GRANT APPLICATION
Because of the generosity of so many people in this community, in 2008 the Bill Sugra Memorial Fund will be able to distribute more than $25,000 to honor Bill’s memory to the following organizations:
SCHOLARSHIP We are continuing our matching scholarship with IUP for a needy student - Bill attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and truly loved the education that he received there. There is a memorial to 3 students who graduated from IUP who were tragically killed at the World Trade Center.
CARING FOR CHILDREN
Programs essential to the health, welfare and educational needs of children in our community.
- Pinebrook Services for Children and Youth - "Making the Grade", a program designed to reduce truancy in the Allentown School district.
- Community Music School - Provides outreach programs.
- Boys and Girls of Easton - "First Tee Junior Golf Program, which positively impacts young people.
- Embrace your Dreams - "First Tee of Willowbrook" and "First Tee of Lehigh Valley", which provides golf instruction and teaches life skills.
- Boys & Girls Club of Allentown - "Backpack Buddies", a weekend meals for at-risk children program.
- Allentown Youth Soccer Club - Instructional/recreational program which is open to all youth of Allentown, ages 8 through 14.
- Community Bike Works - Programs that empower youths in risk situations to break the cycle of drugs and crime.
- Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley - Mosser Kids Care Club program.
- Lehigh Valley Child Care - "Early Care" program, which gives an education for children of teen parents.
- The Caring Place - Financial support for expanding services that provide students with basic materials they need to suceed.
- Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. - Funding for a Creative Arts Program, which gives children dealing with cancer a creative outlet.
- Cityspace - Funding for 10 computers and internet access to allow children to improve their academic skills.
CARING FOR THOSE LESS FORTUNATE
Ensuring that people who need help with the basic essentials of life are given every opportunity.
- Allentown Ecumenical Food Bank - Provides three to five days supply of food for needy clients.
- Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley - Subsidize costs associated with their Children's Program and working with the youngest victims of domestic violence.
- Fund to Benefit Children & Youth - "Family Needs Program", which fills the basic needs for the well-being of children.
- Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown - Supporting a community soup kitchen that augments the emergency food aid needs of the city's low-income residents.
- Care Net of the Lehigh Valley - "Door of Hope Transitional Housing Program", which provides safe, fully furnished apartments for homeless families.
- Northern Lehigh Community Center - Offering programs at a low cost for a large population living in poverty.
- The Gift of Sunshine, Inc. - Helps to train service dogs to provide mobility for impaired people and to keep individuals as active as possible.
- Grace Community Foundation- Provides food for needy families.
- Sacred Heart Hospital - Helping to improve primary and preventive healthcare for low-income children and their families by school based health centers.
- Lehigh County Conference of Churches - Provides direct assistance to benefit hungry men, women and children who visit the LCCC Soup Kitchen and the Daybreak Drop-in-Center.
- Victory House of the Lehigh Valley - Provides 24 hour emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless men of the Lehigh Valley.
CARING FOR THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Providing support and access to care for those with special needs.
- Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired - Eye exams and glasses for children in Allentown School District who cannot afford them.
- Camelot for Children - Funding for a waterproof wheelchair for a new water/splash pad that will allow children confined to a wheelchair to interact with other children.
- Equi-librium - Physical therapy program that serves children with cerebral palsy, muscular spinal atrophy or brain tumors.
- Jenn’s House - Affordable lodging and support for families of patients traveling to the Lehigh Valley for medical care.
- The Baum School of Art - Provides classes, workshops, scholarship and community programs for the needy and disadvantaged.
- The ARC of Lehigh and Northampton Counties - Support for those challenged with mental retardation and support for their families.
CARING FOR SENIORS
Providing support for those services that help seniors live independently and with dignity.
- Homemaker-Health Aide Service of Family and Counseling Services, Inc. - Helps seniors maintain their independence by providing homemaker assistance.
Grant Application
Mission:
The Bill Sugra Memorial Fund is established in memory of Bill Sugra, a compassionate, caring and loving young man whose life was tragically taken in the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City.
The purpose of the fund is to encourage, support and assist the needy and disadvantaged to improve their lives during times of difficulty, regardless of geographic location, race, religion or gender.
GRANT APP - PDF
GRANT APP - Word Doc
TESTIMONIAL
“Creative Hands, Creative Minds, Creative Lives” Fostered at The Baum School
The Baum School of Art bustles with activity year-round – classes, workshops, exhibits, special events, and, in the soon to be upon us summer season, a multitude of camps for budding artists and those looking to explore and develop their talents in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry making, photography, graphic design, fashion design, and more. The School strives to create a climate of instruction, guidance, and encouragement for children, adults and seniors, including those with physical, emotional and intellectual challenges, and to provide necessary financial assistance to enable all, regardless of financial means, to benefit from the opportunities offered at the Baum School. Of the over 3,000 students served each year, over 1,000 receive financial aid or meritorious scholarships, or take part in school-sponsored community programs.
The Sugra Foundation has lent its support to a broad range of programs in partnership with area public and parochial schools and special service institutions such as Mercy Special Learning Center (physically challenged children), Clubhouse of Lehigh County (mentally challenged adults), Good Shepherd Home (physical rehabilitation for children and adults), Casa Guadalupe (the Hispanic community), Lehigh County Office of Probation (teens on probation) and others, by providing programming that directly serves this diverse constituency. Hundreds of students benefit each year from the therapeutic and inspirational effects of art through these unique programs. Collaborative programs with Lehigh Carbon Community College and Penn State Lehigh Valley allow college students to earn degrees in art utilizing the Baum School for their studio art classes, which are not offered at those colleges. The Baum School works in conjunction with the Allentown School District to provide neighborhood children with a variety of after school programs that foster self-confidence and present art as a means of creative expression.
The Baum School is grateful for the Sugra Foundation’s support and that of many generous individuals, corporations and foundations who share the school’s commitment to providing unlimited opportunities to study art, create art, and be inspired by visual art.