The board of directors of the United Fund of Talbot County voted at their June meeting to allocate $315,500 to 21 member agencies for its 2012-13 campaign. These agencies qualified by demonstrating how the funds they requested would be used to meet the needs of the underserved in Talbot County. The original amount requested by the 22 applicant agencies was in excess of $416,000.
“This year’s Agency Review Committee continued in the steps of its predecessors with an outstanding job in their reviews and deliberations,” said Chuck Mangold and Leslie Stevenson, Agency Review Committee Co-Chairs. Mangold added, “The just concluded 2011-12 campaign was able to attract a little over $403,000, short of our $450,000 goal, but a good performance nonetheless in this stagnant economy.” The upcoming campaign has again look to raise $450,000 and the Fund is optimistic that as the economy gains traction, the goal will be attainable during 2012-13. “It’s unfortunate that budget constraints precluded us from satisfying total grant requests, but we continue to work toward that goal each year,” noted Stevenson. The United Fund of Talbot County is the only local philanthropic organization that for over half a century of fundraising has raised $12 million plus to assist non-profit charities in Talbot County.
The agencies selected for the 2012-13 campaign are
• BAAM (Building African American Minds). $12,000 to provide programs that enrich the academic and social development of young African American boys.
• Boy Scouts in Talbot County. $5,000 to deliver scouting programs to both existing scouting troop units and at-risk youth through its outreach efforts.
• CASA of Talbot County. $18,000 to provide trained volunteers to children under court protection because of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
• Character Counts!. $11,000 to promote character development in the county’s public schools as well as conducting workplace ethics classes in the business community.
• Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers. $20,000 to offer quality childcare as well as tuition assistance to eligible local working families.
• Delmarva Community Services. $21,000 to fund adult medical daycare and intervention and travel expenses for medically dependent and frail Talbot County clients as well as general transportation services.
• Epilepsy Association of the Eastern Shore. $9,000 to provide counseling, resources and advocacy for adults with development disabilities.
• For All Seasons. $10,000 to provide advocacy, therapy and education for those needing low cost, easily accessible mental health services.
• Girl Scouts. $3,000 to provide a host of programs for local girls to build character and skills for success.
• Kids on Campus. $1,500 to fund scholarships for needy Talbot County families to attend summer courses.
• Mental Health Association in Talbot County. $28,000 to promote mental health and prevention of mental illness through advocacy, public education and community service.
• Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence. $25,000 to provide advocacy and support for victims of domestic violence.
• Mid-Shore Pro Bono. $3,500 to provide local low-income families with access to free or reduced fee legal services.
• Neighborhood Service Center. $58,500 to serve the total family, addressing housing, food, utilities, eviction and learning needs of local low-income residents.
• Partners in Care. $10,000 to empower older adults to remain independent in their homes using the concept of service exchange to provide transportation and handyman services.
• St. Martin’s Ministries. $15,000 to help to feed, clothe and financially assist impoverished clients, building their self-esteem and self-sufficiency.
• St. Michaels Community Center. $20,000 to provide services to the Bay Hundred Community, including after-school enrichment programs for local youth and teens.
• Talbot Mentors. $12,000 to provide young people with a one-on-one mentoring relationship with a caring adult.
• Talbot Special Riders. $12,000 to provide a therapeutic horseback-riding program for children and adults with learning and physical limitations.
• Tilghman Area Youth Association. $7,000 to cover scholarship costs for children unable to pay for afterschool programs.
• Upper Shore Aging. $14,000 to provide services for the frail/elderly including meals-on-wheels, advocacy, education and recreation.