The 2006 Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) committee selected twenty-seven organizations from Tufts University's host communities to receive grants for community programs.
TNSF collects donations from faculty and staff throughout the year and then awards small grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts' host communities (Somerville, Medford, Grafton, and Boston's Chinatown) and actively engage Tufts' volunteers in their work. A committee comprised of Tufts administrators, faculty, and staff meets annually to review proposals and select grant recipients. The committee met recently and decided on the awards for 2006.
In 2006 there was a total of $21,000 available through TNSF to distribute to organizations in Tufts' host communities. Forty-nine proposals were received representing more than $83,000 in requests. Twenty-seven programs and projects were selected for awards. Members of the TNSF committee base their decisions on a desire to address the most pressing needs, to assist programs with few other options for support, and to encourage expanded involvement of Tufts volunteers.
The Chinatown grant recipients for 2006 are:
- Asian Community Development Corporation - $750 toward training sessions for the Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment Program (A-VOYCE).
- Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence - $1500 toward the repair and renovation of a basement storage area in an emergency shelter.
- Boston Asian: Youth Essential Services - $500 toward supplies for a teen literacy project.
- Chinese Historical Society of New England - $500 toward the production of a commemorative booklet for the dedication of the Chinese Immigrant Memorial.
- Friends of the Chinatown Library -$500 toward bilingual materials to help build support for a library in Chinatown.
- Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center - $1000 for the printing of "Chinese Eldercare Resource Guides."
The Grafton grant recipients for 2006 are:
- Alternatives Unlimited - $1200 toward adaptive equipment for clients with intensive medical needs.
- Apple Tree Arts - $500 toward music education classes for Head Start preschool students.
- Grafton Elementary School Parent Teacher Group - $500 toward the school-wide curriculum enrichment program, "Math Day."
- St. James Church Interfaith Hospitality Network - $750 for bed linens, toiletries, medication, food, and other supplies for homeless families.
- St. James Church Outreach Program - $1000 for emergency relief funds for basic needs including food, clothing and utilities for community members.
The Medford grant recipients for 2006 are:
- City of Medford Human Rights Commission - $750 toward supplies for the "Second Step" anti-violence program.
- Community Cupboard Food Pantry of the Unitarian Universalist Church - $1800 for food staples.
- Medford Health Matters - $1,000 toward public service announcements on underage drinking.
- Shelter Inc.'s Medford Family Life Education Center - $1000 toward educational and recreational supplies for children's, parenting, and life-skills groups.
The Somerville grant recipients for 2006 are:
- CASPAR, Inc. - $500 for program supplies for adolescents at Youthaven after-school drop-in and treatment center.
- CORES, Inc. - $500 for materials for ESL civics classes.
- Elizabeth Peabody House - $750 toward materials and furnishings needed for the "improvement of the learning environment plan."
- Groundwork Somerville - $500 for supplies for the Growing Healthy schoolyard gardens project.
- Mystic Learning Center - $500 toward books and library shelving for the "Empowering Competent Youth Program."
- Open Center for Children - $750 toward classroom materials and equipment necessary for re-accreditation.
- RESPOND, Inc. - $500 toward "Welcome Bags" (basic necessities) for women and their families staying at the shelter.
- SCM Community Transportation - $750 toward new computer hardware to improve transportation services for elderly and disabled citizens.
- Somerville Homeless Coalition - $1000 toward carpet replacement at the Family Shelter.
- Somerville Project SOUP - $1000 toward holiday food packages for low-income residents of Somerville.
- Somerville Transition Shelter - $500 toward the creation of a book club for residents of the shelter.
- Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services - $500 to provide additional meals for "Meals on Wheels" clients.
"The TNSF committee congratulates all applicants on the important work they do. Each year, the proposals are more compelling, making the decisions more difficult," said Barbara Rubel, Director of Community Relations and staff to the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund. "The committee is grateful not only to all of the programs submitting applications, but to all of the university employees who donate to the fund. We wish we could fund every request we receive."
TNSF is a giving option of the annual Tufts Community Appeal (TCA), in which the university encourages its employees to contribute to charitable organizations at the regional, national, and international levels. The TCA unites faculty and staff across all campuses of the university, and demonstrates the support the Tufts community for local and global efforts. It reflects the university community's belief that individual action can make a difference in the world.
