22 Grants Announced from HelpUSVINow! Fund at CFVI
Total giving reaches $2 million
U.S. Virgin Islands – The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) announces 22 grants from the HelpUSVINow! Fund at CFVI. Organizations and initiatives funded in this round of grants include those serving the homeless, youth, and individuals with disabilities, as well as efforts to assist those with homes damaged or compromised by the hurricanes. This award of $800,000 in grants brings the amount of money distributed from the Fund since November to a total of $2 million.
On behalf of the Richard J Stephenson family who underwrote the HelpUSVINow! Fund, Darren P. Keller expressed his family’s hopefulness and commitment to the recovery. “We are so proud of the resilience of our fellow Virgin Islanders after two such devastating storms. The organizations benefitting from the HelpUSVI Fund are doing a tremendous job of rebuilding our community. It is our family’s pleasure and honor to partner with CFVI to support such great work. There is still much to be done, but organizations like these are making it happen.”
CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown expressed the Community Foundation’s appreciation for the generosity of the Stephenson Family. “The Stephenson family exemplifies how strategic partners can provide transformational support in helping the Virgin Islands build forward.”
The grantee organizations/projects (receiving awards ranging from $5,000 to $150,000) are:
| – OLMC Kallallo Kitchen |
| – 7th Day Food Pantry/Clothes Closet |
| – Peak Potential Homeless Support |
| – St. Thomas Reformed Church Youth/Care Program |
| – Virgin Islands Association for Independent Living |
| – Christiansted Lighthouse Mission Outreach |
| – Yvonne Ashley Galiber Breast Cancer Foundation |
| – St. John Dial a Ride |
| – Dancing Classrooms VI |
| – St. John youth development seed grant |
| – St. Thomas / St. John Youth Scholastic Chess Club |
| – Island Health & Wellness Center |
| – Neighbor2Neighbor Project |
| – St. Thomas Rescue |
| – World Ocean School |
| – All Saints Cathedral School |
| – Free Will Baptist Christian School |
| – Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School |
| – St. Thomas Swimming Association |
| – My Brother’s Workshop |
A portion of the funds will be managed by CFVI (through its KIDS COUNT Initiative) to (a) support a collaborative post-hurricane well-being and needs assessment focusing on children in the Territory, which will be conducted by the Caribbean Exploratory Research Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, and to (b) administer a small-scale targeted charitable gift card distribution program.
Recognizing the challenges facing the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) as it recovers from the devastating impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Stephenson Family, under the leadership of longtime St. Thomas resident, Richard J Stephenson, announced in October a pledge of $5 million in relief funds to assist with the islands’ recovery. Two million dollars was funded immediately, with the additional $3 million pledged as a matching fund to encourage other donations to the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) for hurricane recovery. Tax-deductible donations can be made at www.EDCReliefandRecovery.org or by contacting Katrin Braddell, CFVI Development Director at 340-774-6031 or katrinb@cfvi.net (checks can be mailed to CFVI: PO Box 11790 / St. Thomas, VI 00801 with the memo: HelpUSVINow!).