2012 Grant Application may be submitted via mail or email to gillian [at] euphoriagreenville [dot] com. All applications must be received by 5pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012. Mailed applications can be sent to 135 South Main Street, Suite 104 Greenville, SC 29601.
euphoria seeks to present a first-class, multi-day event for food, wine, and music lovers that raises significant funds for charities while also promoting tourism and enhancing the reputation of Greenville, South Carolina as a premiere culinary and performing arts destination. While euphoria exposes local, national, and international visitors to the high quality of music and culinary arts being performed in Greenville, South Carolina, it also exists for charities.
euphoria is organized and presented by Local Boys Do Good (“LBDG”), a non-profit organization exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All net proceeds from euphoria are distributed by LBDG through direct grants to other charities – mostly in upstate South Carolina – that focus on providing sustenance to those in need (food, hunger, and health), educating (through music, performing arts, or otherwise), or supporting children. These areas of focus are consistent with the charitable interests of LBDG’s Founding Directors and Board.
Since its inception in 2006, LBDG has received more than 150 grant applications and requests. Since 2006, euphoria (and LBDG) has distributed more than $150,000 in cash and in-kind donations to deserving charitable organizations. euphoria seeks to highlight Greenville and the Upstate by enhancing the community’s reputation as a leading culinary and arts destination.
2011 Charitable Partners:
Camp Opportunity
Camp Opportunity’s mission states “Our mission is to provide a variety of supportive services to abused and/or neglected children, offering a respite from the storm of their lives; safe, loving, fun and educational experiences we call camp – Camp Opportunity.” The organization was founded in 1979 by a small group of volunteers who were concerned by the ever increasing numbers of children being placed in Protective Custody of the Greenville County Department of Social Services due to abuse and neglect. They decided to provide these children with a week of summer camp. That first summer, 23 children attended camp. Now, 31 years later, Camp Opportunity serves over 100 children annually with a year round program of educational and enrichment activities that includes a week of residential summer camp, a Shared Blessings program at Christmas whereby members of the Greenville community sponsor our children and fill their “wish lists”, trips to the YMCA to swim, parties at Pump It Up, whitewater rafting trips with GOAT (Great Outdoor Adventure Trips), skating outings, circus performances and other activities. Children are referred to Camp Opportunity’s program through their DSS caseworker when they first enter protective custody. Our children range in age from 6 to 13.
The euphoria grant will be used to implement a new program called the Footprints Project. The goals of the Footprints Project are to provide access to culturally and educationally enriching activities in the Greenville community (Greenville Zoo, Children’s Museum, shows at the Peace Center) at no charge to families with foster children who are not able to attend the events otherwise, and to support foster families as a cohesive family unit instead of providing services only to those children ages 6-13. Foster parents are paid between $11 and $14 per day per child. After spending money on food, clothes, housing, and other expenses, there is typically very little left to spend on enrichment outings for the family. The Footprints Project will fill in the gaps by allowing the entire family to take part in the events that make Greenville a wonderful place to live.
Governor's School for the Arts
The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities is a public residential high school for emerging artists. The school gives artistically talented high school students from across the state the opportunity to study their art in a supportive environment of artistic and academic excellence. Arts concentrations include Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. The nine-month residential high school is modeled after a master-apprentice community with an arts faculty who are all practicing artists, as well as educators in their areas of expertise. In addition to rigorous pre-professional arts training, students receive an intense and innovative academic education that fosters connections to the arts while meeting all the requirements necessary for a South Carolina high school diploma. Dancers can attend the residential high school from tenth through twelfth grades. All other art areas are two-year programs for eleventh and twelfth grade students.Students apply and audition to attend the school. There is no tuition to attend, although there are minimal processing and meal plan fees. Life at the Governor's School is a constant collaboration. Emerging artists from different backgrounds and all five art areas work together, learn from one another, and grow to form bonds that last long past graduation.Summer programs include Discovery, Academy, Summer Dance and Teachers' Institutes. Both Discovery (for rising ninth grade students) and Academy (for rising tenth grade students) are two-week programs that include concentrations in Creative Writing, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Summer Dance is a five-week program for dancers ranging from seventh to eleventh grades.
The euphoria grant will support the Music Department of the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities’ annual Music Tour. Each year approximately 75 talented students travel to a different area of the state to showcase their talent as well as provide outreach opportunities in other schools where arts budgets have been cut. This year’s geographic region of focus is the Low Country where over the course of 3 days Governor’s School students will gain invaluable performance experience while exposing students in the Low Country to the possibility of immersion in a music program at the Governor’s School. This Tour will open doors of opportunity for our nation’s best future musicians while helping to showcase an arts rich Greenville, and we are grateful to Local Boys Do Good for their support of this important project.
Meyer Center
The mission of the Meyer Center for Special Children is to provide quality education and therapy services to preschool children with disabilities. The Meyer Center was founded in 1954 by Dr. Leslie C. Meyer, an orthopedic surgeon who witnessed daily the need for educational services for children with disabilities. Students attending the Center have been diagnosed with a condition affecting their motor development such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or other genetic syndromes. Children enrolled in the preschool program not only receive a developmentally appropriate early childhood education, they also receive all of their speech, physical and occupational therapy services while at school. Ten years ago, the Meyer Center provided an education and therapy program to 33 students. Last year, over 170 children benefitted from the Center’s life-changing services. The Meyer Center offers families help and hope by providing the early intervention for children to enable them to reach their maximum potential. It has been said of the Meyer Center that, “If a disability is a hurdle, this is where they learn to leap!” A former Meyer Center parent recently wrote a letter stating, “Our culture seems to walk right over people with challenges in life - but not at The Meyer Center. The Meyer Center is a place where people give their lives away for the sake of “the least of these.” It’s a magical place where lives are continually revolutionized. The Center is a center of hope in a world that seems to hope in things that will pass. The work done at Meyer Center instills hope that will last for a lifetime.”
The euphoria grant will help fund the Music for All Kids music therapy program at the Meyer Center. Many children at the Meyer Center would not be exposed to music and reap the benefits of Music Therapy without the continued support of Euphoria. The primary goal for Music for All Kids is to see increased skills in each child based on the specific child's abilities. The Meyer Center anticipates the following results from this program: 1) Increased Attention 2) Improved Cognitive Functioning 3) Increased Socialization 4) Improved Behavior 5) Decreased Agitation 6) Improved Receptive and Expressive Language and 7) Enhanced Sensory-Motor Skills.
Project HOPE Foundation
Project HOPE's mission is to serve individuals living with autism by Helping families,Opening minds, Promoting inclusion, Expanding potential. With the current rate of autism of 1 in 110 children, 1 in 70 boys, our services are more critical than ever. Project HOPE Foundation currently serves toddlers to teens, with plans in development for adult programs. Through our 4 core programs, we help individuals across the autism spectrum, from classic autism to Asperger’s syndrome: Hope Link helps families deal with the challenges of autism by providing information about autism spectrum disorders, including symptoms, therapies, interventions, services, funding options, and coping skills. Since 1997, Project HOPE Foundation has assisted over 1,000 families by providing them with hands-on attention. Our DVD, Understanding Autism: A Resource for Families, Pediatricians, and Caregivers, has been distributed to over 750 families, childcare providers, and professionals in 16 states. Hope Reach opens minds by providing 25-40 hours per week per child of intense Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy focusing on language, behavioral, social, and cognitive skills. We currently provide over 1,000 hours of therapy each week, serving 80 children. Hope Reach provides both home-based and clinic-based services. It is the only nonprofit provider of this therapy in Upstate South Carolina. Hope Academy promotes inclusion through a school specifically designed to provide children with autism the opportunity to learn in classrooms with typical peers and a typical curriculum. Since its inception in 1997, this unique school has served over 1,000 children, building relationships that have changed lives. Hope Alive expands the potential of youth and young adults with autism who need continued, creative support in the areas of academics, life-skills, interests, vocational opportunities and experiences. Our clients are creating community relationships and expanding their repertoire of skills through individualized programs designed to build upon their strengths.
The euphoria grant will go towards the Hope Alive project. The goal of this project is to create a permanent kitchen space for youth with autism. Through cooking, these youth will gain skills in every target area: Academics – math (measurement, increasing/reducing amounts), Life skills – independence in food preparation, communication, shopping, Interests – building vocabulary and expertise in an area of interest to others, Vocational opportunities – shopping, cooking, cleaning, serving, Experiences – expanding sensory input through touch, taste, and smell.
Slow Food Upstate
Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment. A non-profit member-supported association, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. We are committed to protecting traditional and sustainable quality foods, defending the biodiversity of cultivated and wild varieties as well cultivation and processing methods. Through maintaining the diversity of regional food and agricultural traditions, the wisdom of local communities can be maintained to protect the ecosystems that surround them and offer sustainable prospects for the future. Slow Food Upstate is a local chapter of Slow Food USA, which is a part of Slow Food International. Slow Food Upstate, a non-profit organization, seeks to base the chapter’s mission on education and sharing local food culture traditions in an accessible manner. We seek to provide opportunities for the development of gustatory discernment, which empowers people to be responsible and enthusiastic co-producers of the food they consume. We want to encourage and model eating practices that balance health, justice and enjoyment. Our special emphases involve the 10 counties of Upstate of South Carolina, honoring local food traditions, and local producers, the well-being of the environment and the community. We strive as well in educating children and adults with appropriate workshops, classes, and dining opportunities to uphold biodiversity in the food system, with respect to Slow Food initiatives.
The euphoria grant will go towards Slow Food Upstate Children’s programming for year 2011-2012: A program developed with six hands on experiences for children, one teacher training, creating one DVD with which to extend the life of the program to future class rooms or to individual teachers or after school program director training.
1. Taste Education at the Earth Market “Sensational Kids” 2. Historical Cooking Workshops at the Roper Mountain Science Center, Blueberry Festival, July 9, 2011 3. Cooking Classes, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate 4. On the Farm Education, May-June 2012 Project Request $150.00 5. A. Video Production with the Michelin YES! Kids or other middle school drama troupe volunteers to demonstrate the How to Taste lessons, production target date before January 15, 2012. 5. B. Teacher Training at Roper Mountain Science Center. Feb., 2012
United Ministries
United Ministries exists to “provide life changing opportunities and advocacy for people in our community who lack education or employment skills, who are in financial crisis, who are homeless, and those who can help.” United Ministries accomplishes their mission through 5 distinct programs: Place of Hope: homeless day-shelter, providing basic services (showers, laundry, etc.) and intense case management, Emergency Assistance: assisting and stabilizing families with immediate needs of food, rent, utilities, prescriptions, and heat, Adult Education: tutoring and assistance for earning a GED, Employment Readiness: helping people find and keep jobs, matching employers’ needs with employees’ capabilities and Our Eyes Were Opened: dedicated to teaching the community at large about issues of poverty. Well into its fourth decade, United Ministries recognizes that it cannot change anyone, but it can offer people opportunities to change their lives. The agency's programs focus on real outcomes that demonstrate an impact in the community. The homeless are guided into permanent housing. The unemployed are guided through job training and into stable employment. People who lack a diploma are guided through the process of earning a GED and enrolling in college. United Ministries is working to make a reality its vision that every citizen of Greenville County will meet the needs of self and family in healthy and edifying ways.
The euphoria grant will be used to stock the food pantry in the United Ministries Emergency Assistance program with proteins that are vital to nutrition and overall health. Lack of adequate protein can have long-term and detrimental effects on health, particularly in children, including fatigue, stunted growth, poor mental development, and decreased cell and tissue regeneration. During summer months, many children go hungry and are nutritionally imbalanced when they don’t receive the free and reduced lunches at school. With the help of euphoria, the United Ministries Emergency Assistance program will be able to purchase various meats, peanut butter, and beans, thereby providing balanced nutrition and adequate protein to an estimated 1300 families in Greenville County during the summer of 2012.
