Atlanta Braves Foundation donates $400,000 to local community in 2015

In a pregame ceremony Friday, the Atlanta Braves Foundation announced that it will donate an all-time high $400,000 to the local community in 2015 through donations and grants. The 2015 grant recipients were also announced during the ceremony, and grants will be awarded to 48 local non-profit organizations. With these grants, the organizations will fund education initiatives, serve families in need, expand athletic programs, promote healthy lifestyles and much more.  

The Braves Foundation actively supports community organizations within the metro Atlanta area, and since its inception in 1994, has contributed $6 million in financial and in-kind assistance to the community. Through the generous support of Braves players and staff, sponsors and fans, the Atlanta Braves Foundation continuously strives to improve the quality of life for our youth. 

During the 2015 calendar year, the Braves Foundation successfully fundraised through annual programs such as the Atlanta Braves Foundation Weekend, Foundation Golf Classic, 50/50 Raffle and various auctions throughout the season.

Summary of the 2015 Atlanta Braves Foundation Grants recipients and initiatives:

• Alive Ministries will purchase food and toiletries for the Save It Forward Initiative, which services children and families in need within the Cobb County School District.
• Anti-Defamation League will support the "No Place for Hate" anti-bullying initiative in schools.
• Arthritis Foundation will sustain and expand the Juvenile Arthritis programs and services, and improve the quality of life for families living with juvenile arthritis in Georgia.
• Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities will provide a comfortable "home away from home" for 10 families who will travel to Atlanta to receive medical care for their children through the Adopt-A-Family program.
• Attachment & Trauma Network will support an interactive Therapeutic Parenting Skills Building Weekend for parents of traumatized/attachment-disordered children.
• Big Brothers Big Sister of Metro Atlanta will support initiatives for Bigs and Littles including Mentoring Toward College, Healthy Living/Big Fit, and Mentoring for Children of Prisoners.
• Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta will integrate healthy living values into an edible landscape community garden at Anderson Boys & Girls Club.
• Brian Jordan Back to the Future Foundation will support Camp Jordan, a free baseball clinic for more than 200 disadvantaged children.
• Bright Futures Atlanta will integrate technology into the after-school and summer programs.
• Camp Kudzu will support the diabetes management overnight summer education camping programs for children and teens with Type 1 diabetes.
• Camp Sunshine will enrich the lives of Georgia's children with cancer and their families through year round recreational, educational and support programs. 
• Center for Pan Asian Community Services will help disadvantaged Hispanic youth receive a high school diploma or a GED and obtain meaningful work through after-school and summer workshops.
• Center for the Visually Impaired will support programming specific to health and fitness education in the STARS After School Enrichment Program and STARS Summer Enrichment Camps for visually impaired students.
• Center for Working Families will support the development of "Dunbar University," which promotes school readiness and family enrichment and healthy relationship workshops.
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta will provide more than 600 bike helmets for the Safe Kids coalitions to distribute in an effort to promote bike safety.
• Christian Aid Mission Partnership will provide new shoes and backpacks filled with school supplies for disadvantaged youth.
• Cobb Alchohol Task Force will facilitate a Sources of Strength program in Marietta Middle and High Schools focusing on social issues such as bullying, substance abuse, suicide and violence.
• Cobb Community Foundation will provide diapers of all sizes to non-profit organizations and families in need.
• Cobb County Public Schools Educational Foundation will focus on college-readiness preparation by providing tutors and counseling for SAT/ACT exams and college planning during an after-school enrichment program.
• Cobb Health Future Foundations will support the Media Smart Youth Program that educates youth on media, physical activity and nutrition.
• Cool Girls Inc will support after-school Girls Clubs, Saturday fitness field trips and summer fitness programs.
• CURE Childhood Cancer will provide family meals at the Aflac Cancer Center through the Open Arms program.
• East Lake Foundation will purchase educational materials and program supplies for the RISE After School Program that serves children at Drew Charter School.
• Georgia Avenue Community Ministry will fund the Urban Recipe Food Cooperatives which feeds low-income families.
• Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation will help fund the WOW! Program, which provides memorable vacations for families dealing with cancer.
• Just Us Girls will increase educational support for girls, including SAT and ACT prep, etiquette classes and college tours.
• L.E.A.D. will support the organization's year-round baseball and life-skills development program for middle and high school students in Atlanta.
• LaAmistad, Inc. will provide flash cards and books for students to utilize during the school year and the summer.
• Latin American Association will support the health and wellness component of the Latino Youth Leadership Academy.
• Lekotek of Georgia will provide children with limited mobility access to the world of play, learning and communication using only eye movement.
• Lutheran Services of Georgia will support the week-long day camp experiences for refugee children impacted by trauma.
• Marietta Police Athletic League will fund the PAL EXCEL program designed to tackle the problems of childhood obesity and grant access to sports and recreation for low income families.
• Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School Athletic Boosters will provide an indoor retractable batting cage system, a baseball L-screen, and batting tees for baseball and softball athletes.
• Must Ministries will provide toys and essential winter items such as blankets, underwear, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, books and school supplies for youth and their families in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
• Piedmont Healthcare will support a low income family nutrition education program.
• Rally Foundation will support the Family Emergency Fund, which offers financial relief to families that have a child actively undergoing cancer treatment.
• Reach Out and Read will provide children's books in pediatric waiting rooms to encourage literacy.
• Reconnecting Families will supply furniture, clothing, camps for children, and other basic household needs for disadvantaged families.
• Ser Familia will fund the Strengthening Families program which focuses on parenting skills, children's life skills and family skills.
• Special Olympics - Georgia will help offset costs for youth to attend the Special Olympic Georgia State games.
• The Center for Children & Young Adults will provide dining tables and chairs for a youth shelter.
• The U.S. Fund for UNICEF will empower Atlanta-area kids to get active and help save the lives of children around the world this spring by taking on a unique challenge that will allow them to learn about the issues faced by their peers in other countries and make a difference just by running, playing and having fun.
• Tomorrow's Champions will provide opportunities for girls to learn the fundamentals of softball and life skills.
• True Colors Theatre Company will provide free in-school theatre arts workshops for high school students.
• Villages at Carver Family YMCA will support the youth baseball initiatives at the Atlanta Braves Youth Baseball Academy.
• YWCA of Northwest Georgia will support summer programming for the children in YWCA's domestic violence shelter and transitional housing.
• Youth Empowerment will support the YELLS Community Action Cafe, Afterschool Program, and Summer Programs for youth.
• YWCA of Greater Atlanta will provide new materials for the Early Learning Academy.