The Fund for Sandwich of The Cape Cod Foundation has awarded a total of $5,000 in grants to Calmer Choice and The Sandwich Recreation Department to support programs serving young people in the Sandwich community.
“It’s been a COVID-fueled, computer-screen-dominated, isolating year for many children,” said Dr. Madeleine Wing Adler, chair of the fund. “Because of this, we’re focusing our current grantmaking on programs that promote healthy lifestyles for young people.”
Calmer Choice received a $2,500 grant for its mindfulness program partnered with the Oakridge Elementary School in Sandwich. The resources will allow a second instructor to complete training and provide ongoing support for the school-based team. The program, designed in collaboration with mental health professionals, blends social-emotional learning, mindful awareness training, and evidence-based neuroscience to promote mental health, wellness, and resilience. It has served over 32,000 adults and students from 28 schools across Cape Cod.
The Sandwich Recreation Department also received a $2,500 grant to increase access to its diverse and inclusive recreational and educational programs this summer. The funds will allow the department to offer discounted fees and scholarships to qualified families.
Adler said these grants targeted to young people in the community were made possible through a generous donation from a group of six Sandwich High School alumni who call themselves the Holly Hog Charitable Foundation.
Adler said the Fund’s Advisory Committee will continue to seek private donations to support proactive grants to nonprofit organizations providing informed, practical, family-sensitive programming and those meeting other needs in the community.
Earlier this year, The Fund for Sandwich awarded $5,800 in proactive grants to support the Sandwich Arts Alliance and Sandwich Council on Aging. It will conduct its fifth annual grantmaking process later in 2021 to support additional organizations.
