News Brief - BCA to Announce 2024 BCA Award Recipients - May 9, 2024

The next item on our agenda, this is one of our favorites of the year. This is the presentation by the Board of Community Assistance to announce the 2024 BCA award recipients. I'm hoping that a lot of people are at home listening in and waiting to hear their names, etc. So here we go. 00;12;27;18 - 00;12;56;14 Unknown Please identify yourself and then the floor is yours at the podium. My name is David Karen, community resident and member of the Board of Community Assistance. And indeed it is a very exciting evening. We're very excited to be able to report to the Board of Supervisors the efforts that we made in response to the wonderful proposals that we received. 00;12;56;16 - 00;13;35;01 Unknown The BCA was established in 2013 through a partnership between Upper Merion Township and Valley Forge Casino Resort, and we serve as advisors to the Board of Supervisors in providing assistance with distributing to the community. Moneys received from the Valley Forge Casino Resort, nonprofit and five agency organization's proposed projects, which directly impact Upper Merion Community residents. And we evaluate them and fund them when possible. 00;13;35;08 - 00;14;16;05 Unknown And we also look for students to send scholarship applications. High school juniors and seniors residing in Upper Merion Township and planning to attend college or in other or other post-secondary educational institutions are encouraged to apply and to date, the BCA has awarded over $1.7 million in grants. So thanks very much to the Valley Forge Casino Resort. And we give you tonight the results of our evaluation of those proposals. 00;14;16;07 - 00;14;52;22 Unknown The current membership of the Board of Community Assistance, actually the appointed members are all here. Bret Montek. Our Chairperson Lydia Dan Sturdiness and I are the community members. The Valley Forge Casino Resort representatives are Ronald Bailey and Donna Hogan and Greg Wax is our supervisor liaison who attends all the meetings and is a great source of knowledge about the township. 00;14;52;22 - 00;15;33;17 Unknown As we evaluate many of the organizations proposals. And finally, Jerry Vattimo, the our staff liaison, who is just an amazing, amazing contributor to the entire process, who prepared the very PowerPoint that we're looking at right now and who just seems to have an inordinate amount of energy to support our our efforts and is also a great source of knowledge about the township and helping us evaluate the proposals. 00;15;33;19 - 00;16;18;02 Unknown This year we received 62 applications total, 39 from organizations, three from sports organizations and 20 scholarship applications. And we were able to fund all of them except for one organization. One. And the total funds awarded in 2024 were was $207,116.79. I'll go through first the sports and organizations recipients, successful recipients, and then move on to the scholarships for sports. 00;16;18;04 - 00;17;01;09 Unknown The Upper Merion Area School District unified by U.S. Special Olympics Sports Organization, an inclusive sports program for special needs athletes and their buddies, receives $1,000 The King of Prussia Soccer Club to help their portable to get their portable back stocked system Up to speed is $2,000 gets $2,000. The Upper Merion Baseball and Softball Association is granted $4,000 for their garage door replacement and playing field safety screens. 00;17;01;11 - 00;17;39;20 Unknown Moving to the organizations, the Upper Merion Girl Scout troop number 7208 will receive $600 for their MLK Community Day of Service event stations with multiple local volunteer service opportunities. Upper Merion Spring, which offers exercise sports kills for special skills for special needs. Children will receive $1,000 and the Upper Merion, Dr. Martin Luther King National Holiday Committee will receive $1,000 to help support their efforts for that celebration. 00;17;39;23 - 00;18;22;08 Unknown The Upper Merion Parks and Recreation Consortium of the Arts will receive $1,000 for a Sticky Bones artist. Mannequin Educators Bundle for digital art. The Upper Merion Shade Tree and Beautification Commission will receive $1,063.79 for equipment for volunteer tree maintenance and the Upper Merion Area School District Viking Field Day, which is an adaptive event program for special needs students and their buddies across elementary, middle and high school will receive 1200 dollars. 00;18;22;11 - 00;19;06;14 Unknown The Friends of Black History will receive 1200 dollars for their Black History celebration activities throughout February. The Love Works Resource Center will use 1500 dollars from the BCA to fund the Maggie's Mission Love boxes with age appropriate gifts delivered to local hospital patients, infants to teens and adults battling serious illnesses. We've been able to grant 1500 dollars to the Autism Society of Greater Philadelphia for Arts games and a chit chat program for adults with special needs. 00;19;06;16 - 00;19;55;08 Unknown The BCA is able to grant 1600 dollars to the Upper Merion Parks and Recreation Teen Sports Leadership Academy that is working to develop leadership skills in teens transitioning into the sports camp counselor. And we're able to grant $1,870 to the Upper Merion Township Library to improve usability and organization upgrades for the children's department, the Upper Merion Environmental Advisory Council, in partnership with the Shade Tree Commission and the Upper Merion Farmers Market, will receive $2,000 for their Healthy Yards Kit Initiative Education with a native plant giveaway. 00;19;55;11 - 00;20;29;12 Unknown The Upper Marion Parks and Recreation Department and Consortium for the Consortium of the Arts will receive $2,000 for graphic arts software. The Upper Merion Township Outdoor Pool will receive $2,000 for their lifeguard training equipment that the Red Cross is involved in. And there's an Oculus two virtual reality headset training tool that they will use to train those lifeguards. 00;20;29;15 - 00;21;07;04 Unknown Fostering Hope will receive $2,500 for the Foster Families initiatives, which provides practical support items for foster families and youth. And it works with the Montgomery County Office for Children and Youth. We're able to grant $2,500 to the Literacy Council of Norristown for their adult literacy education programs, which includes read, write, math, work skills, GED, ESL and digital navigation. 00;21;07;06 - 00;21;57;11 Unknown The BCA can provide $2,500 to the Upper Merion Area School District High School Positive Behavioral Interventions Program. It's called Horns Up Fast and to foster positive school environment and and academics. The Upper Marine Area School District Guidance Department is granted $2,500 for providing snacks for students in the Upper Merion Area School District elementary schools to supplement nutrition. The Upper Merion Area School District Social Work Group provides a Thanksgiving dinner for food insecure school districts, students, families, and we grant them $2,500. 00;21;57;13 - 00;22;36;27 Unknown We can grant $2,900 to the Economic Community Development Committee, the Upper Merion Historical Commission. Hope is the way in love is the answer LLC for a farm mural at Northview Farm, featuring images reflecting its dairy farm past and putting together an infographic of the farm's history. The BCA grants $3,000 to the Love Works Resource Center for their Creative Arts music therapy program, providing instruments for underserved individuals and families. 00;22;36;29 - 00;23;25;13 Unknown The BCA can provide $3,000 to the neighborhood Meals on Wheels and King of Prussia, a meal program that provides meals five days 52 to 52 weeks per year. We can provide $3,000 to the Upper Merion Area School District Music Boosters Club to help them with their uniform replacement to serve the Upper Merion Area High School Music Department. The BCA can grants $3,000 to the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County to help support their Victim Services Center hotline, which provides 24 seven crisis intervention counseling. 00;23;25;15 - 00;24;13;28 Unknown We're able to grant $3,320 to the Washington Memorial Heritage, which will help the Valley Forge Defenders gate restoration and provide an architectural assessment for making the historic building accessible to the public. The BCA granted grants $3,500 to the Neils Strong Foundation to upgrade their Neil C Patel community arts Room. Upper Merion Emergency Aid will be granted $3,500 for their back to school program that provides shoes and socks for In-Need children. 00;24;14;00 - 00;24;56;09 Unknown We grant $3,500 to the Upper Marion Senior Service Center for a Professional instructor led exercise program for senior Wellness, as well as replacement furniture for their library and multipurpose rooms. The BCA is able to grant $4,000 to Laurel House, which is a safe haven center for emergency shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic abuse. The BCA grants $4,250 to the West End Civic Association for their fees. 00;24;56;09 - 00;25;44;27 Unknown Seven. Their West End Civic Association Community Center restroom needed upgrading the BCA grants $4,500 to the Upper Marion Area School District. Gulfport Elementary School adds to help them with a school garden and foster hands on STEM learning. The BCA grants $5,613 to the Mitzvah Circle Foundation to provide critical need to help them provide critical needs for families and their diaper bank program and period supply programs. 00;25;45;00 - 00;26;30;00 Unknown The BCA is able to grant $6,000 to the King of Prussia Firefighters Association for e draw like equipment to upgrade rescue equipment for motor vehicles and small spaces. $6,000 to the Swedes Berg Volunteer Fire Company for sensing gold G2 for gas meters with TSI sensors and carbon monoxide detectors for public and firefighter safety, and $6,000 to the Upper Merion Township Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department for firefighter Personal escape systems. 00;26;30;02 - 00;27;09;21 Unknown The Upper Marine Community Center Complex Advisory Board is granted $6,000 for community center child programing to enable increased parent family engagement and participation. We are able to grant $15,000 to the Upper Merion Area community cupboard and were able to grant $15,000 to the Upper Merion Area School District Social Work Emergency Fund, which will be able to support students in acute need with rental and utility support. 00;27;09;24 - 00;28;04;11 Unknown That ends the report on the organization's. So that's the three sports organization Oceans and the 38 other organizations. Now we move on to the 20 scholarships of the 1500 dollars scholarships we have Andrea Savini $2,000 scholarships, Nicholai Smiley and Adele Eaton $2,000 scholarships, Aiden Cavanagh, El Monte and Samantha. Samantha Foster continuing with $2,000 scholarships, Kate Wellington and Justin Bears $2,500 scholarships. 00;28;04;11 - 00;28;51;28 Unknown Go to Allan Alan Nichols and Michael Boogie Bugler $3,000 scholarships. Go to Samuel Belmonte and Aiden McConnell to Rodney, Jayden Haney and Joy Lou, we're able to grant 30 $500 scholarships to Kathleen Payne and Collette Egan. We're able to grant a $4,500 scholarship to Sanyo Montek. We have a few named scholarships. The Ronald G Wagon Min scholarship for $5,000 goes to Nya. 00;28;51;28 - 00;29;51;20 Unknown Our friend D Ronald Wagman. Another Ronald Wagman scholarship for $5,000 goes to Rice and Cherry. Another Ronald Wagman scholarship for $5,000 goes to Jenna Sue and the general. One soybean scholarship for $10,000 goes to Alyssa Gonski, who has decided that she loves tigers and purple and gold at Louisiana State University. All all of these recipients are invited to the awards reception at the Valley Forge Casino Resort at the venue on Wednesday, June 5th, from 530 to 7:30 p.m.. 00;29;51;22 - 00;30;28;28 Unknown It's always a wonderful and happy event. I hope you can join us and I'd like to thank you for your attention, but I'd also just like to thank everybody who submitted applications, who is doing all of that great community service work in Upper Merion Township. I'd like to thank my colleagues on the Board of Community Assistance, as well as Greg and Jerry, who support us from the from the township. 00;30;29;00 - 00;30;54;07 Unknown And I'd like to thank the Valley Forge Casino and Resort Resort for providing the funds so that we can make up of Merion Township a more enhanced community. Thank you. Thank you for that presentation. Supervisor Wax, would you like to make a few comments? Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll make a few comments and then I'll make a motion to approve. 00;30;54;09 - 00;31;30;12 Unknown First of all, I see some recipients of grants and scholarships here tonight. So congratulations to you and to your organization. I have no doubt it will go to good use. Just some general comments. First and foremost, thank you to the members of the BCA, three of whom I see here tonight. As I've said it past BCA welcome recommendation reveals it is a lot of work that the BCA members have to do to go through the recommendations, to go through the applications and to make recommendations, you have to read all the applications first and foremost. 00;31;30;15 - 00;32;01;27 Unknown Then you have to understand them because sometimes they can be pretty complex. Then you have to be able to defend what you think each organization or scholarship applicant should or should not receive and it's always very calm the conversation. But there is a serious amount of advocacy and there are some very, very tough decisions. It is a Labor, but it is a labor of love. 00;32;01;27 - 00;32;21;21 Unknown I think I do read all the applications and I've been asked previously if I agree with everything the BCA does, and you know that the BCA recommendations, they're essentially, you know, a compromise in many respects. You've got five different voices in the room. I mean, if it was me giving out the money, I'm sure there would be some differences. 00;32;21;21 - 00;32;41;28 Unknown But that being said, year after year I would give the BCA members, you know, an A-plus in that there have been very, very, very few decisions made by the BCA over the years that I've really disagreed with COUNTERMAN on. I was saying one hand, but let's not I can think of one now. Now Lydia's making a no, I can think of one. 00;32;41;28 - 00;33;13;27 Unknown And it was a very small one. So first and foremost. Secondly, I applaud the BCA for giving out the most money in scholarships that's ever been awarded and every single student applicant received a scholarship. I think one thing that helped make that decision easier was there was a change in the process in the way the checks for scholarships will be handed out this year, and that is no checks will be given to the colleges. 00;33;13;27 - 00;33;35;27 Unknown Remember, the students don't ever touch the money themselves, but no checks will be given to the colleges until the volunteer project has been completed. That is important because in the past there may have been some projects that were viewed as being very hard to complete or maybe not as thought out, as well as some of the BCA members would have liked. 00;33;36;00 - 00;34;06;09 Unknown Well, now, with the fact that checks do not get distributed until the project is completed, if the project is not completed, the check doesn't come. So the onus is on the applicant and I strongly suspect there were probably two or three applicants at least who did receive scholarships this year who in past years would probably not have received scholarships because the application in regard specifically regards to the volunteer project would have been viewed as being lacking or not enough information. 00;34;06;12 - 00;34;37;03 Unknown I also want to thank the BCA for coming up with a really great idea of making both juniors and seniors eligible for for scholarship applications. Prior to this year, it was only graduate seniors who are eligible. While I would have liked to have seen more applicants overall, I still think it was the right decision. And it is certainly true that the number of applications in regards to both organizations and for from students does vary from year to year. 00;34;37;05 - 00;35;03;05 Unknown And one other thing that I would like to point out is one event that the BCA held that during the open period was that there was an organizational meeting where organizations that were applying for grants could come and talk with the BCA members about what might strengthen their application. I think that it certainly helps with at least one of the applications that they showed up. 00;35;03;07 - 00;35;25;25 Unknown I certainly help with all of them, but was one specifically that they showed up. I know that every organization which showed up was tremendously appreciated by the BCA members and I just want to conclude by repeating something that that David Cameron said and you know, all the BCA members know and that none of this is possible without Valley Forge Casino Resort and its incredible generosity. 00;35;25;27 - 00;35;47;22 Unknown I cannot think of a community this size that has a program like this where prior to, you know, tonight $1.7 million has been given out in approximately the last 11 years with another $209,000 or so going out at the end of this year. So with all of that, I would like to make a motion to approve the BCA recommendations. 00;35;47;24 - 00;36;14;14 Unknown Is there a second aisle, second, Any other comments by any other one of us on board, anything from the public? Thank you. You're very welcome. And seeing and hearing no other comments. We're ready to vote on this. All in favor. I have just 5 to 0 and congratulations to all the recipients of these these grant awards.