Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation announces Fall grants
Pictured here (l-r) are Marquetta Moore, Executive Director of FII, Chris Wallace, Grizzlies General Manager and VP of Basketball Operations, Jenny Koltnow, Executive Director of the Grizzlies Foundation and Sheila Fleming-Hunter, FII Board member.
Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
MEMPHIS, October 16, 2007 – The Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation has announced a number of grants to local non-profit organizations totaling $345,000. The grants will be made at the annual Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation Fall Partners Breakfast on Thursday, October 18.
The largest grant is $30,000 to a new partner, AGAPE Child & Family Services. The following organizations are each receiving $25,000 grants: ArtsMemphis, Church Health Center, Exchange Club Family Center, Memphis Child Advocacy Center, The Leadership Academy, Memphis Leadership Foundation, Memphis Mentoring Partnership/Volunteer Memphis, MIFA, STREETS Ministries, The Works and Youth United Way. In addition, the Foundation gave a $25,000 challenge grant to Families of Incarcerated Individuals for their Project Aware Mentoring Program. The Foundation will match dollar for dollar what the Families of Incarcerated Individuals raise between now and September 2008 up to $25,000. A $15,000 grant was also made to the Memphis Food Bank.
In addition, the following partners will be recognized at Thursday breakfast: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, BRIDGES, Inc., Grizzlies Academy, Knowledge Quest, Memphis Athletic Ministries, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Soulsville, Urban Youth Initiative and Youth Villages.
“Our partners are great stewards of the resources provided by the Grizzlies Foundation, and we are proud to renew twenty of these partnerships and invest in two more,” said Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation Executive Director Jenny Koltnow. “Each of these organizations is worthy of praise not only for their leadership but for their care of children. We encourage our fans and corporate community to join us in supporting these organizations by extending both volunteer and financial resources to assist youth in our community.”
The Fall Partners Breakfast takes place Thursday, October 18 from 8 – 9:30 a.m. at Memphis Athletic Ministries, located at 2107 Ball Road. Media are invited to cover the event, which will be attended by General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace, President of Business Operations Andy Dolich, members of the Grizzlies’ ownership group, and Foundation’s Board of Directors.
The Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation was the recipient of the 2007 Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy. The award, given annually to a professional sports team and athlete who demonstrate excellence and leadership in community and national philanthropy, was established in 2005 by the Sports Philanthropy Project and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest philanthropy devoted to health and health care in the United States. The award was created in memory of Steve Patterson, former UCLA basketball star, NBA player and college coach, and one who believed in and practiced the power of sports philanthropy to make a difference in the lives of others.
The Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation has contributed over $19 million in grants to Memphis-area nonprofit organizations and schools since 2001. The Foundation’s work focuses on education, health, and mentoring of Memphis youth. Notable Foundation efforts include the establishment of Grizzlies Academy, a “second-chance” high school created for public school students at risk of dropping out; Memphis Grizzlies Athletic Center at Memphis Athletic Ministries Sportsplex, a state-of-the-art sports facility with six additional satellite centers in underserved neighborhoods, and the Memphis Grizzlies House at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which provides a comforting home away from home for up to 100 out-of-town families who have children being treated at the hospital.