MAKING A DIFFERENCE
GRANT APPLICATION
Because of the generosity of so many people in this community, in 2009 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 - Community School Book program, which provides books for kids.
- Lehigh Valley Child Care, Inc. - "Early Care" program, which gives an education for children of teen parents.
- Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. - Funding for a Creative Arts Program, which gives children dealing with cancer a creative outlet.
- The William Allen Chorale - Helping inner city kids travel to Florida to help with hurricane relief and perform at local elementary schools.
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.
- 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.
- Grace Community Foundation- Provides food for needy families.
- 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.
- Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley - Operates an emergency food pantry, which serves the people of the community.
- Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council - Supports homeless veterans.
- Habitat for Humanity - Builds homes in the Lehigh Valley for those who need them.
- Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. - Ensures that sexual assault victims have confidential services that meet their needs.
- Northern Lehigh Food Bank - BSMF provided funds for a walk-in cooler and freezer.
- ProJeCT of Easton - Helps families and individuals to provide emergency interventions in a special program.
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.
- Via of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. - Supports adults with disabilities to find and maintain community employment.
- Treatment Trends, Inc. Veterans' Sanctuary - Provides a therapeutic community treatment center for veterans and their families.
- Allentown Rescue Mission - BSMF provides funds to help defray the costs of the Mission's on-site psychiatric services to the homeless.
- Blanket Bunnies - Ladies who knit blankets, scarves and hats for needy babies in local hospitals.
- Mercy Special Learning Center - BSMF assists with tuition for specialized education for students having mental retardation.
- Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living - Emergency outreach program that provides individuals with disabilities to store gift cards to purchase fresh food.
- WRRS/RADPRIN - BSMF purchased 20 special radios for new listeners. WRRS/RADPRIN assists the needs of the elderly, visually blind and handicapped.
- Lauren's Hope Foundation, Inc. - Supports parents of brain injured children of the Lehigh Valley.
- MunOpCo Music Theatre - Provides an outreach program to give individuals challenged with Down Syndrome an opportunity to experience theatre arts and performance.
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.
- Meals on Wheels of Lehigh County, Inc. - BSMF subsidizes the cost of meals for seniors who are unable to pay.
- Meals on Wheels of Northampton County - BSMF subsidizes the cost of meals for seniors who are unable to pay.
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.
The deadline to submit a grant application is July 1.
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.