Mount Rest Home Foundation Fund of East Tennessee Foundation Awards Over $118,000 in Support of Knox County Organizations

Wednesday September 12, 2007

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - East Tennessee Foundation (ETF) announces the recipients of the 2007 Mount Rest Home Foundation Fund grants program. Fifteen area nonprofit organizations have been awarded grants totaling more than $118,000 to support programs which benefit women and children throughout Knox County.

The 2007 recipients will be offering a vast array of projects or programs that address one of the following issues which impact women and/or children of Knoxville and Knox County: nutrition, health and well-being, education and/or training for employment. 

Grants from the Mount Rest Home Foundation Fund of East Tennessee Foundation have been awarded to the following: Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Child and Family Tennessee, Friends of TIPS, Hospitality Pantries, Inc., InterFaith Health Clinic, Kids on the Block of Knoxville, Inc., Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, Lisa Ross Birth and Women's Center, Montgomery Village Child Development Center, Pellissippi State Technical Community College/Foundation, Safe Haven Center, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Volunteer Ministry Center, Wesley House Community Center and YWCA of Knoxville. For further grant recipient information, please see provided list.

Mount Rest Home began in 1894 as a residence for elderly ladies who had very little funds or family to care for them. The devoted women of the board of Mount Rest Home raised funds to support the home and they tended to every need of the house and the ladies who lived there. The women of Mount Rest Home continued to provide for the welfare of women and children in Knox County by establishing the Mount Rest Foundation in 1994. The Mount Rest Home Foundation Fund of East Tennessee Foundation was established in 2004 to secure their families' legacy of caring for Knox County's women and children.

East Tennessee Foundation, established in 1986, is a regional community foundation serving 25 counties in East Tennessee. The Foundation serves East Tennessee by building endowments, providing services to donors and making grants to programs and projects that benefit this region and its people.

For more information, please contact Jan Elston, Senior Program Officer, via phone at (865)524-1223 or e-mail at jelston@etf.org.

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Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley $9,000
Funding is awarded to support an after-school and summer Education Enhancement program for youth at four inner-city Knoxville Club sites. Youth will engage in activities which will improve reading and math skills and provide homework help in order to build academic success.

Child and Family Tennessee $7,000
Funding is awarded to support a new and enhanced therapeutic and recovery support program at the Family Crisis Center for women and children who need safe emergency shelter. The proposed expansion project will add bedrooms and offer tailored safety planning and case management services, therapeutic support and individual services.

Friends of TIPS (Tennessee Infant Parent Services) $4,000
Funding is awarded to support Respite Day services and in-home respite for children who are too medically fragile to attend a Respite Day event. Respite care is provided by a team of trained professionals in order to provide parents and other primary caregivers the opportunity to take a much-needed break from the strains of full-time care for children with special needs.

Hospitality Pantries, Inc. $7,000
Funding is awarded to support FISH Hospitality Pantries, which provides food packages to nearly 4,000 families each month from three Knoxville locations.

InterFaith Health Clinic $10,000
Funding is awarded to support medical care, dental care and mental health counseling for women and children. The Clinic provides affordable health care for the working uninsured.

Kids on the Block of Knoxville, Inc. $5,000
Funding is awarded to support puppet programs which will educate elementary school children about health and social issues that affect their lives. Topics will include bullying, prejudice, divorce, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, visual impairment and hearing impairment.

Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee $10,000
Funding is awarded to support the Mobile Meals program of the Community Action Committee's Office on Aging through its Senior Nutrition program. The Mobile Meals program delivers nutritional meals to senior citizens while providing daily visits by a volunteer.

Lisa Ross Birth and Women's Center (Lisa Ross) $9,000
Funding is awarded to support fees for a bi-lingual Health Educator to initiate a Health Promotion Project with pregnant women being cared for by Lisa Ross. The project will emphasize nutrition, health and well-being of TennCare recipients and uninsured women, many of whom are Spanish-speaking.

Montgomery Village Child Development Center $10,000
Funding is awarded to support tuition for children to attend the child care program at Montgomery Village Child Development Center, d.b.a. My Village Child Development Center. Scholarships for tuition will be provided for children who live in Montgomery Village Housing Authority apartments whose families are low-income, not eligible for Tennessee Department of Human Services Child Care Certificates and unable to afford tuition fees.

Pellissippi State Technical Community College/Foundation $10,000

Funding is awarded to support the Tennessee Board of Regents Magnolia Avenue Nursing Center. The first graduating class of 31 nursing students in May 2007 has already accepted positions locally in the healthcare community.

Safe Haven Center $5,000
Funding is awarded to support the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention and Education Program. Components of the program include a sexual abuse education program for elementary school-aged children, rape prevention education for middle school, high school and college students, and play therapy for children.

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee $9,500
Funding is awarded to support two Youth Hunger Programs: Food for Kids and Kids Café. The Food for Kids program discreetly fills backpacks full of healthy, easy-to-prepare foods each week for hungry children in elementary schools. Kids Café provides food for after-school meals and snacks one-to-five times per week.

Volunteer Ministry Center (VMC ) $9,000
Funding is awarded to support women who access the VMC Day Room, a safe place for homeless women to begin to rebuild their lives. The Women's Counselor helps to provide shelter, clothing and support for homeless women, and visits the Knox County Public Library each week to assist the library staff
in providing services to the homeless individuals who use the library as a substitute day room experience.

Wesley House Community Center $5,000
Funding is awarded to support an ongoing Children's After School Recreation, Education and Support program (CARES). Elementary school students in primarily the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale and Beaumont communities will receive tutoring and have homework time and opportunities for sports, music and dance activities.

YWCA of Knoxville $9,000
Funding is awarded to support the YWCA Residence Program which gives homeless women the opportunity to develop skills for self-sufficiency.

TOTAL FUNDING AWARDED: $118,500

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