Kelly Cares Foundation Announces 2017 Grant Recipients

South Bend, IN – April 26, 2017 – The Kelly Cares Foundation is pleased to announced the recipients of its 2017 grant funding. Each year, the Kelly Cares Foundation selects grant funding recipients, both locally and nationally, whose programs and initiatives closely align with the goals of the Foundation to strengthen communities by improving Health & Education. The organizations chosen to receive grant funding are the following: The Center for the Homeless in South Bend, Reach Out and Read Carolinas in Sylva, NC, and Pink Ribbon Connection in Indianapolis, IN.

The check presentation to the organizations will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 12:30pm in the Kelly Cares Foundation Office: 1251 Eddy St. South Bend, IN 46617.

“Selecting grant recipients is something the Kelly Cares Foundation takes very seriously, as we know the organizations that apply for funding work hard every day to create a positive impact,” said Paqui Kelly, Co-Founder of the Kelly Cares Foundation. “We are so excited to provide funding for these amazing organizations that align very closely with our values and missions. The local, regional, and global impact that our gift can make is truly humbling and we are privileged to provide funds that will be used to improve the lives of others.”

Interested organizations needed to apply by December 31, 2017 through the Kelly Cares Foundation website, www.kellycaresfoundation.org, to have their request considered. From those applications, the Kelly Cares Foundation Grant Committee selected those that most exemplified the ideals of the Foundation and are able to project long-term benefits resulting from the grant.

The Kelly Cares Foundation Grant Committee selected the following grant recipients:

The Center for the Homeless in South Bend, Indiana - $10,000

The grant will go towards supporting Center for the Homeless' Tenant, Financial, and Life Skills Education Program for Homeless Veterans. CFTH is developing a unique pilot program geared towards our homeless veterans and guests. This program will be developed as a follow up program to the 3^rd and Goal Foundations financial program that was featured on the University of Notre Dame's “What Are You Fighting For?” series. This new program will create classes that are designed to teach vital topics such as tenant education skills, financial and budgeting skills as well as overall independent living skills. While these skills may seem common to most people, the homeless population are often caught in a cycle of homelessness where these skills may not have been taught or developed, yet they are a vital component to living successfully in a permanent housing situation and ending their cycle of homelessness

Reach Out and Read Carolinas in Sylva, North Carolina- $10,000

This grant will support Reach Out and Read's Eastern North Carolina Initiative, a program that supports physicians and their practices to make reading a “doctor-recommended” activity. ROR's Initiative encourages parents to continuously administer healthy doses of reading aloud at home. The organization has a two-generational impact – it builds children's libraries in low-income households, and positively impacts parental behaviors affecting healthy language and literacy development for their child. The voice of the provider is one of the most trusted voices in the early lives of families. ROR leverages that access and that voice to provide parents with critical education and engagement at each and every check-up around literacy and language sharing with their children – and what this language does to help build healthy brains for their children.

Pink Ribbon Connection in Indianapolis, Indiana - $9,600

Grant funding from Kelly Cares will help to finance New Patient Resource Organizer and Rural Peer Counselor Training and Educational Sessions at Pink Ribbon Connection. This program will create and distribute New Patient Resource Organizers to Indiana hospitals and breast clinics, to be given out to all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The program will also recruit and train rural breast cancer survivors to serve as peer counselors to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in their area. This program will promote and host two regional breast cancer education sessions in two different areas in rural Indiana.

About The South Bend Center for the Homeless

The South Bend Center for the Homeless has served more than 55,000 men, women, children and Veterans by linking them with the programs, agencies, and people who can help them break the cycle of homelessness. Visit www.cfh.netto for more information.

About Reach Out and Read Carolinas

Reach Out and Read prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Visit www.rorcarolinas.org for more information.

About Pink Ribbon Connection

The mission of Pink Ribbon Connection is to provide emotional support, local resources, and education to those touched by breast cancer across Indiana. Visit www.pinkribbonconnection.org for more information.

About the Kelly Cares Foundation

The Kelly Cares Foundation, now in its ninth year, has established itself as a “Playbook for Hope.” The Foundation's mission strengthens communities and inspires hope by investing resources to improve Health and Education. The communities touched by the Foundation are a model of educational success and wellness that provide hope and inspiration to all. 

Since its founding in 2008, the Kelly Cares Foundation has donated over $3.5 million to support causes locally, nationally and globally. Some organizations that have received contributions from the Foundation include the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Paqui and Brian Kelly Comprehensive Breast Center, The University of Notre Dame, Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund, Andean Health Global, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Memorial Children's Hospital, Boys & Girls Club, and the YMCA.

To arrange an interview with Paqui Kelly from Kelly Cares Foundation, or to speak with a representative of any of the grant recipients, please contact Becky Beckman at 574.307.9139. To learn more about the Kelly Cares Foundation and its initiatives, visit www.kellycaresfoundation.org.