The Stewardship Committee is proud to announce the 2016 Avila in Action grant recipients! We received 19 applications from organizations all over the world that are truly working to change the world for the better through creative and innovative programs.
$5,250 - A dedicated organization located in the Little Village area of Chicago connecting the most vulnerable members of our community with needed social services. Taller de Jose will use the grant to help fund the salary of a new full time “companion”. A companion works directly with a client to persnally walk them through the complex social service process and ensure that the client can successfully navigate the process with help by their side every step of the way.
$1,500 - A coalition founded by Catholic religious congregations, 8th Day Center for Justice acts as a critical alternative voice to oppressive systems and works to change those systems. 8th Day Center for Justice will use the grant to help fund their annual Good Friday Walk for Justice, which highlights the need for social justice reform here in Chicago and beyond.
$5,250 - An organization serving Chicago’s high-risk high school children. PEAK provides its students with a full four-year scholarship to a Holy Trinity Catholic High School, and pairs each student with a mentor to assist them throughout all four years of school. PEAK will use this grant to support its student-mentor programs – a key to PEAK’s success.
$5,000 - A local organization combating teen depression through educating and raising awareness and encouraging good mental health in adolescents while working to break down the stigma of mental illness. Erika’s Lighthouse will use its grant to fund a new video-based high school program aimed at raising awareness and promoting early identification and treatment for teen depression.
$8,000 - A faith based community care organization providing health care, child care, education and social services to the most poor and vulnerable. Cabrini Ministries will use its grant to fund 60% of the operational cost for their newly opened preschool which provides a safe environment for students to develop a love of learning, critical thinking and English Language skills in a country where very few have access to education.