Rays award $100,000 to local nonprofits
On Sunday, September 20, the Rays awarded a total of $100,000 to 20 local nonprofit organizations through the second cycle of the 2015 Community Fund Grant Program.
The nonprofit grant recipients were recognized during a welcome reception and a pregame ceremony at Tropicana Field. Guests had a chance to network with other charities and also participated in an on-field check presentation ceremony with Rays President Brian Auld and first baseman James Loney.
The Rays Community Fund Grant Program provides assistance to local nonprofits in the Tampa Bay region. Grants averaging $5,000 are awarded to help enhance current programs offered by community-based charities that support youth and education. To date, the Community Grant Fund Program has awarded more than 228 grants to organizations totaling $1,177,500.
This is the second round of grants from the 2015 program. The applications for the 2016 Community Fund Grant Program will open in spring 2016 and will be available at raysbaseball.com/grants.
The following 20 organizations and their corresponding programs will be supported by the Rays 2015 Community Fund Grant:
Organization Program
AMIKids, Inc. Center for Personal Growth
Camelot Community Care, Inc. Adoption Support Program
Community Stepping Stones, Inc. ATLAS Project
DMG School Project, Inc. GET FIRED UP! Program
ECHO of Brandon, Inc. Nutrition and New Essentials for Kids
Front Porch Community Development Association, Inc. YIELD IT Program
The Glazer Children's Museum Museum at the Library
Learn Tampa Bay Helping Children Succeed in School Program
Manatee Education Foundation, Inc. Boys Club for Change
Oasis Network of New Tampa, Inc. School Uniforms for Hillsborough County, Title I students
PACE Center for Girls, Inc. Getting Girls to School Project
PCAT Saturday Reading and STEAM Initiative
St. Petersburg College Foundation, Inc. First Generation Scholarship Initiative
St. Petersburg Free Clinic, Inc. Pack a Snack 4 Kids
Success 4 Kids & Families Successful Students Program
The Cypress Initiative, Inc. Spark Inside Mentoring Program
The Florida Dream Center Adopt-A-Block
The Salvation Army, St. Petersburg Area Command Afterschool Tutoring Program
The Sky Family YMCA, Inc. Children and Family Scholarship Fund
UMCM Suncoast Families Learning Together (FLT) Program