St. Albans Rotary Club sponsors Saint Albans Museum's new children's exhibit
ST. ALBANS — The St. Albans Rotary Club recently made a generous donation of $2,000 to the newest children’s exhibit at the Saint Albans Museum.
The exhibit will be known as the CREATE Kids’ Cove, and it will be themed around Saint Albans Bay. The space will provide young museum-goers with the opportunity to learn about ecological conservation, the Bay's native species, and the Bay's impact on St. Albans history from its first inhabitants, the indigenous Abenaki people, to the modern day.
The exhibit was completed thanks to the help of a $15,000 grant from the Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation , along with donations from the Rotary Club and private donors. Both the VCTF and the Rotary Club have been instrumental in the completion of the project, and it is thanks to community-centered organizations like these that SAM can continue to deliver educational programs and spaces for local youth. Read the full story HERE.
DADS group offers adults and kids creative activties, chance to meet others
Mark Rondeau, Bennington Banner
NORTH BENNINGTON – Sunrise Family Resource Center is partnering with the Vermont Arts Exchange to offer fathers and father figures monthly creative events in the VAE space in North Bennington. Sunrise recently received grant funding through the Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation to launch a new group, DADS. Read the full story HERE.
The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Outright Vermont to assist in their purchase of Camp Sunrise, a 146-acre parcel of lakefront property in Addison and Rutland counties.
According to Executive Director, Amanda Ahmadi, “The programs we fund are designed to help our youth build self-confidence, connect with their community and find their purpose. This project will have an enormous impact on all three of these priorities.”
Ahmadi continued, “After reviewing dozens of grant applications, the grant review team saw the Outright Vermont application rise to the top. The vision of this camp was emotional for many. One grant reader stated that the application brought them to tears as they envision a place where kids will feel safe, be heard and be free to enjoy all that summer camp has to offer”.
“This generous funding marks a pivotal step in assisting LGBTQ+ and allied youth to achieve their dream of establishing a permanent home for Camp Outright. We are immensely grateful for this grant and for the support of The Children’s Trust Fund. Their belief in the necessity of a camp experience where LGBTQ+ youth are safe and can freely express their true selves is both affirming and inspiring. This contribution is not just financial; it’s a powerful endorsement of our mission to provide hope, equity, and power with LGBTQ+ youth,” said Dana Kaplan, Executive Director of Outright Vermont.
For the first time in our organization’s history, VCTF has awarded a $50,000 grant to fund an impactful project serving kids across Vermont.
The Arts Bus has been rolling across Vermont bringing art supplies and art education to children living in our most rural areas for over a decade. However, the 1994 International Diesel that is iconic and creates a rolling makerspace everywhere it goes is not an all-weather vehicle- with summer tires, no heat (or A/C), and limited interior light without connecting to an electrical source. At 28’ long and nearly 10’ tall, it requires a special driving talent and can only be driven 5-6 months of the year on paved and moderate grade roads. The Arts Bus needs a new way to reach our children, all year round. VCTF is proud to provide the funding needed to buy a new vehicle.
Genny Albert, Executive Director of the Arts Bus is grateful. “After a decade of rolling thru Vermont to empower children through the arts, The Arts Bus has proven the best way to bridge the opportunity gap is to drive over it! With this amazing grant, we’ll build capacity with the perfect vehicle for year-round and expanded service to reach even more of Vermont’s young artists to unlock their creative potential – and we are simply thrilled by what Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation has made possible for years to come!”
