11/24/09 - Rutherford Housing Partnership Wins $20,000
It’s official, RHP wins Tom’s cash
FOREST CITY– After weeks of public voting and campaigning among 50 of America’s most inspiring and creative non-profits, Tom’s of Maine announced the five winners of its “50 States for Good” initiative.
The program, which rewards non-profits that make a lasting difference in their local community, drew more than 280,000 online votes from across the country. The votes ultimately determined the five non-profit organizations to receive $20,000 each to fund important projects ranging from animal rescue and handicap access to community gardens.
Rutherford Housing Partnership’s “Project Access” was one of the five nationwide winners, formally announced in the weekend edition of USA Today. The program is a ramp-building project and will provide handicap access to an estimated 15-20 low-income homeowners in the county who are unable to safely access their own homes.
“The Tom’s of Maine award gives RHP a source to draw from to build ramps making remaining limited funds available for other urgent projects like roofing, replacing unsafe floors, etc,” said Billy Honeycutt, RHP Board President. “It strengthens our ability to improve unsafe living conditions in Rutherford County.”
Other winners across the country are:
- The Corridor of Cruelty & Neglect, Houston Mobile Clinic, Houston, Texas – Funding will be used to help an area of Houston dubbed the “Corridor of Cruelty & Neglect,” where animals are often abandoned, injured or ill. A mobile clinic will work with animal rescue to get animals to the clinic for health care, sterilization and ultimately to help find homes for them.
- Free Fresh Produce: Gleaning for DC’s Poor, Bread for the City, Washington, D.C. – Funding will support weekly trips that send volunteers into the fields of regional farms, where they’ll collect literally tons of fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste. A few hours of labor from a couple dozen volunteers can yield free produce that will feed a thousand or more families for a week.
- Butterflies and Boulders: A School Greening Project, Friends of Coeur d’Alene Elementary School, Venice, Calif. – Funding will be used to remove 8,000 square feet of asphalt, and replace it with drought tolerant plants that allow the annual rainfall to percolate into the soil rather than flood the school. This special garden and its integrated curriculum will teach lasting lessons of conservation and promote awareness of the local watersheds.
- Grow Food, Grow Hope Garden Initiative, Wilmington, Ohio – Funding will create a community garden for low-income families, grow bulk produce for area food banks and coordinate grower co-ops and farmers markets to increase fresh food access for low-income families.
“We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to vote and especially the 2,000 organizations who submitted applications,” said Rob Robinson, director of Goodness Programs at Tom’s of Maine.
“Our five winners are excellent examples of organizations all over the country that are having a lasting, positive impact in our communities every day.”
With this initiative, Tom’s of Maine is extending its ongoing commitment to doing good and supporting good in communities. After 40 years of donating profits back to community projects, this year the company left the decision to the public to decide what projects should receive the company’s financial support. Tom’s of Maine has a lengthy history of supporting critical issues such as clean waterways and greater access to quality, affordable dental care.
In September, more than 2,000 applications were narrowed down to 50 finalists by a panel of judges based on the positive impact, achievability and level of community involvement of the project submitted. The judging panel for the finalist phase was composed of key leaders of the non-profit community including Robert Egger, founder of the DC Central Kitchen and V3 Campaign director; Zach Frechette, editor in chief of GOOD Magazine; Darius Graham, author of Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World; Sam Davidson, founder of CoolPeopleCare.org and Geri Weis Corbley, founder and editor/publisher of the Good News Network.
Tom’s of Maine is a leader in natural personal care with a long standing commitment to supporting people, communities and the living planet. For almost 40 years, the company has sponsored hundreds of non-profit efforts by giving 10 percent of its profits back to the community and encouraging employees to volunteer by giving 5 percent paid time off.
Staff writer Jean Gordon contributed to this story. "The Daily Courier"
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