Grants That Make a Difference
"Grants that Make a Difference" highlights grants given to Southeastern organizations that have helped make a difference in people's lives. Getting the grant is only the beginning of the story. At least once a month, "Grants That Make a Difference" will profile these important grants and what their recipients are doing with them.
More than 8,600 Mississippi students, in grades pre-K through 12th grade attending Picayune, Poplarville and Pearl River Central school districts, will have a new innovative program to help them take charge of their own health and overcome the growing trend of childhood obesity. The Healthy Lifestyles program was made possible by a partnership which includes the three local school districts, Pearl River Community College, the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation (LPRVF), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). This model program was designed to help students and faculty develop their own personal wellness plans through a community-supported intervention.
Funding partners for the program are:
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | $500,000 |
| Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation | $382,000 |
| County School Districts | $200,000 |
| Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation | $70,000 |
The issue of childhood obesity in Mississippi
Mississippi parents are losing the battle to secure healthy lifestyles for their children. Studies show a lack of nutrition education, decreased activity, and larger portions are taking control of our youth’s futures. Type II diabetes, cardiovascular problems and low self esteem are just a few of the conditions causing a healthcare crisis among students, today, and, as they grow into adulthood.
What is the Healthy Lifestyles program? It is a four-year plan to educate faculty and students on the importance of eating healthy foods and increasing activity while developing a personal wellness plan. Based in the schools it will incorporate a food lunch program to provide students with healthy choices and less junk food. The program also features Healthy Lifestyles curriculum, health screenings, walking trails, and methods to encourage positive attitudes toward a healthy lifestyle.
Prestigious partnership makes grant possible
This grant represents national recognition for Pearl River County through the Local Initiative Funding Partners (LIFP), one of the most highly competitive annual grant making programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The LIFP office received 295 very strong applications for the 2005 matching grant awards and only 16 projects (six percent) were selected. Using rigorous criteria, the LIFP program supports community-based projects that develop new approaches and collaborations to improve health and health care for society’s most vulnerable people. The Healthy Lifestyle program is considered a promising model by RWJF.
Healthy Lifestyles Funding Partners:
Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation
The Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation seeks opportunities to participate in creative, innovative, and educational endeavors with the potential to positively impact our community. Our commitment as a philanthropic entity serving this region is to improve the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health of the people we serve.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation
The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation supports efforts targeted at improving the overall health and wellness of the people of Mississippi. They seek to be a catalyst for long term, systematic healthy change. Their commitment is to making a difference and that commitment is shared with those who share their vision for a healthier Mississippi.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need - the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit
www.rwjf.org .
Pearl River County School Districts
Pearl River County’s schools, including Pearl River Community College, have agreed to partner together to implement the Healthy Lifestyles program in their school environments. All three districts’ superintendents, administrators, faculty and staff agreed to support the effort which will benefit themselves and their students.
The selection of organizations for the "Grants that Make a Difference" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size of funding programs to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see support for your organization featured in "Grants that Make a Difference," e-mail a detailed description of the grant, including the name and contact information of the funder and of your organization, the amount given, and how the grant made a difference. For your convenience, we have provided a template to follow. We welcome press releases in addition to, or as a substitute for, the information in the template.
Email the description or press release to
atweb@foundationcenter.org, with "Grants that Make a Difference" in the subject line.
Recipient Name:
Project Name:
Organization Mission and how it relates to the project:
Beneficiaries or Community Impact:
Funding Partner(s): (Grantmaker Names)
Grant Amount:
Recipient Contact: Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail, URL
Grantmaker Contact: Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail, URL
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