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The Community Foundation values its role as a catalyst, convenor and collaborator, bringing other funders and nonprofits together around vital issues and adding key support to make positive change possible.
We center our proactive work around what we know about community needs and in particular on information in the 2005 "Community Counts" report and other state and national data. By focusing on early education and care, for example, we believe that we can make an impact on many of the root causes of concerns revealed in "Community Counts."
At the local level, we are working with the Alabama Partnership for Children and many other organizations to create a Blueprint for School Readiness for Jefferson County. Committees made up of local leaders are assessing the data and resources already available, with input from service providers, caregivers, funders and families, with the goal of providing what children need to be successful in school.
The target population to benefit from the Blueprint includes families and children from birth to age 5 in Jefferson County, especially those with multiple risk factors including poverty.
At the state level, the Community Foundation provided support for the creation of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, which now takes on the responsibility of advocating at the state level for the importance of voluntary, high quality pre-K sites in Alabama. ASRA is a collaboration of VOICES for Alabama's Children, A+, the Alabama Partnership for Children and Alabama Giving, the regional association of grantmakers of which the Community Foundation is a member.
The Community Foundation is working with business and community leaders to engage citizens in supporting and strengthening the Birmingham City School System. This grassroots campaign, called Yes We Can! Birmingham, began with public meetings in July of 2007, and is modeled after a similar successful effort that has become a national model.
The Community Foundation takes a leadership role in supporting the creation and expansion of three area parks -- the new Red Mountain Park and Railroad Reservation Park and Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. In addition to making a grant of $1 million toward this effort, we are working with other foundation funders to transform our community through the addition of these parks and greenspaces.
The Women's Fund continues to make grants, supported by its Voices Against Violence giving circle, to establish a model domestic violence court and other efforts. Call 327-3820 to find out more. |
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"We believe that all children deserve equal opportunities to reach their full potential. The Blueprint for School Readiness promotes investments in a community-wide comprehensive plan to ensure that each child has the opportunity to succeed."
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