A total of over $59,000 in grants were awarded by Operation Our Town for the 2022 grant cycle to the following prevention programs:

AASD Adult Education Program:  HSE: Bright Futures

Funding awarded will be used to invest in the future of Blair County adults who lack a high school diploma by awarding HSE (High School Equivalency) scholarships to pay for the cost of GED subtest exams necessary to earning their High School Equivalency Credential.

AASD ELECT Program:  ELECT (Education Leading to Employment & Career Training)

Funding awarded will be used to provide nutritious meals and snacks for pregnant and parenting teens at educational events and workshops, and provide engagement support to paternal figures that are ineligible for the program but involved in their children’s lives.

Altoona Area School District Foundation:  Project SOAR (Study, Overcome, Achieve, Reward)

Funding awarded will be used for supplies and program materials for students that have been identified to receive financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education, given that they meet program guidelines and participate fully in the program.

ArtsAltoona:  Empowering Arts for Men in Recovery

Funding awarded will be used to offer creative arts instruction to men in recovery from drug addiction.  Lessons will incorporate the use of art to build confidence, self-esteem, communication skills, relieve stress, and encourage creativity and imagination.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County:  S.M.A.R.T. (Students & Mentors Achieving Results Together) School-based Mentoring Program

Funding awarded will be used to help create and support matches between mentors and mentees in all of the SMART School/Site-based Mentoring Programs throughout Blair County; thus providing children with meaningful relationships to help reduce the likelihood of substance abuse, criminal mischief, school absenteeism, and violence.

Blair Regional YMCA:  Family Y-Nite

Funding awarded will be used to help low-income families attend family-based activities that bring families together in a fun, safe, affordable, and drug-free environment which provide food, resources, art, music, and crafts for all.

Central Blair Recreation & Park Commission: Youth Sports Program Supplies/Equipment

Funding awarded will be used for new program supplies and equipment for the following youth sports programs: playground program; elementary, instructional, and happy hoops basketball; elementary, instructional, and junior high girls’ volleyball; instructional/indoor and elementary soccer.

Child Advocates of Blair County:  CHOICES Summer Program

Funding awarded will be used to purchase supplies and incentives for a youth summer program at Evergreen Manors that will include educational topics & agency speakers, as well as topic related crafts, games, and activities.

Evolution Expressions:  Arts for Healing Program

Funding awarded will be used to provide quality, strength-based, preventative, therapeutic programming for youth with the purchase of art supplies for trauma-focused arts related activities to help at-risk youth combat the effects of trauma through the use of art techniques.

Gloria Gates Memorial Foundation:  After School Program

Funding awarded will be used to fund educational materials, incentives, healthy snacks, field trips, and individual assistance to youth at-risk enrolled in three after-school programs held within the low-income housing developments of Evergreen Manors, Fairview Hills, and Logan Hills.

Home Nursing Agency Foundation:  Healing Patch

Funding awarded will be used to assist with the supplies associated with peer support groups held twice monthly during the school year for Blair County children and their families who have suffered the death of a loved one, as well as grief related books and brochures for their Lending Library.

Overflow Church:  Jefferson Park Neighborhood Outreach

Funding awarded will be used to provide supplies for neighborhood outreach events at Jefferson Park such as community clean-up days, cookouts, trunk or treat, and Easter egg hunts.

Renew Church:  Ben Blessed – Homeless Outreach Ministry

Funding awarded will be used to provide daily hot food delivery and non-perishable food items, self-care items such as toiletries, clothing, and hygiene products to minister to the increasing homeless population within Blair County.

Roaring Spring Community Library:  Mending Patches

Funding awarded will be used to provide a free hands-on and creative drop-in, self-directed, and formal program teaching at-risk youth how to mend, alter, and upcycle their clothing.

The R.O.C.K. at 2nd Avenue:  The R.O.C.K. (Reaching Out to Community Kids)

Funding awarded will be used to purchase food and program supplies for youth in Pre-K to 12th grade and provide a home-cooked meal, gym/physical activities, arts & crafts, and age-appropriate small groups that encourage healthy living.

United Way of Blair County’s Family Resource Center:  Parent Education Programs:  Parents as Teachers & Parent Education Classes

Funding awarded will be used for program supplies and educational materials for the parent education programs Parents as Teachers (evidence-based home visiting) and Parent Education Classes.

Young Life of Central Pennsylvania:  Young Life Camp

Funding awarded will be used to help high school students attend Young Life Camp who financially cannot afford the cost of camp otherwise.