Monday, March 14, 2016

Better Your Community With A Neighborhood Grant

by Cristiana Ventura, Resource Development & Marketing Intern

United Way of Pierce County’s Neighborhood Grants Program, powered by South Sound Together, provides financial and technical support to resident or community-led groups for projects that help children and families in their neighborhood. Last year's success proved the program to be vital for Pierce County- and we are happy to announce grant applications are available now for the 2016 year. 

Springbrook Connect is one of our extremely successful grant winners from last year. They applied for a Neighborhood Grant and got approved for their Community Garden project.

The residents of Springbrook Park applied for United Way funding in their neighborhood because they had no common area to build a sense of community together. They noted in their application that high poverty, transiency, and crime defined the vicinity. With their grant, they decided to create a community garden so that the residents of the area could all have a shared project. 

Alyce, one of the adult leaders, plays a critical role in providing a local emergency network for the community. Alyce shared that garden activities have been bridge builders within their tiny neighborhood cut off from Lakewood by I-5. She has seen parents of children, racially divided at first, start to come together under a common bond of work and play. Alyce also connects community members who cannot come to the garden. She was contacted by an older lady who had saved a ball of string to help the kids build a structure for newly planted peas.  Children who were once afraid to go to the park now play in it happily every day- their feeling of danger now a thing of the past. 


"Not only did the money help with our groups needs for tools,  fencing starts , etc. It allowed us to show the city of Lakewood that we are serious about helping to change our community for the better. Our success ... allowed Mary Dodsworth( Parks Director for Lakewood) to justify investing money into Springbrook Park. The city has decided to enlarge the park and our garden. 

I am happy to say the garden space they proposed will include a permanent storage shed, a 6 ft security fence , and 32 new raised beds for planting. I truly believe if it was not for the United Way's help last year we would not have been able to have the city pay attention to our efforts. Thank you." - Springbrook Connect resident

This community has come together in a new and meaningful way - - moreover, there is ownership in the project from a wide assortment of stakeholders. This is one small step to breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty. If we all continue to champion the cause of caring, like so many in the Springbrook community, and outside the Springbrook community, like United Way, then there is much hope.


This year, the Neighborhood Grants Program will be accepting applications from any Pierce County community-led groups in the Hilltop, Springbrook, Franklin Pierce, Bethel, or Eastside (Salishan) neighborhoods. Proposed amounts may range from $500 to $1,500.

 Want to better your neighborhood? Know of someone who would- but needs the funds to do so? Apply now! Application closes March 31st.


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