United Way of Northwest Louisiana presented two checks totaling $20,000 on Thursday, July 27 to nonprofits in Sabine Parish. The Sabine Council on Aging and Project Celebration were the recipients of the funds and will be used for local programs.
The United Way awards grants based upon community needs and organizational capacity to impact those needs. One competitive grant cycle is offered annually and any nonprofit within the ten parish region of Northwest Louisiana is encourage to apply. Funding decisions are made by volunteers. The representative from Sabine Parish that serves on the United Way Board of Directors is Buddy Wood.
In 2016, more than 15,000 individual donors in more than 800 companies and organizations participated in a United Way workplace campaign. It is the fruit of these labors that United Way NWLA is able to award grant allocations. The dollars that are raised in a parish stay in that parish.
“The more dollars that can be raised in Sabine Parish means more can be done to benefit the residents,” said Jennifer Martin, Vice President of Resource Development. “We are committed to serving all of the 10 parishes in our service area.”
Project Celebration’s Domestic Violence Program provides services to survivors of domestic violence including safe housing, counseling, safety planning, court accompaniment, goal planning, referrals, and help in finding affordable housing. The Sabine Council on Aging (SCOA) directs services to the elderly of Sabine Parish offering programming, meals, and referrals to seniors over 55 in Sabine Parish to fulfill their social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs.
Eligible organizations must be a 501(c)(3) organization, operate programs in Caddo, Bossier, Desoto, Webster, Claiborne, Bienville, Sabine, Red River, Natchitoches, and/or Winn parishes, and programs must focus on the United Way of Northwest Louisiana program areas of Education, Financial Stability/Economic Development, Health, and Essential Needs. The type of requests that are allowed are for program funding only, and not capital projects.