Have you ever had an idea for how you could make improvements to the Revere community? So have the applicants to the mini-grant programs hosted by Revere on the Move and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Task Force; and this time, these ideas are going to become a reality.
Every year a group of Revere residents and institutional leaders meet together to select the awardees of mini-grants offered to the public through the community-led organizations, Revere on the Move and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) Task Force. Both the ATOD Task Force and Revere on the Move are initiatives of the MGH Revere CARES Coalition. Revere on the Move is additionally co-led by the Healthy Community Initiatives Office at the City of Revere.
This year over $20,000 was awarded to fund ideas to make Revere a healthier place to work, to play, and to raise a family. The Revere on the Move mini-grant program offered $10,605 in funding for permanent changes, program implementation, and youth-led projects that would help prevent or reduce obesity in children and adults. The ATOD Task Force funded projects totaling $9,500 to reduce youth substance use, improve their mental health, and increase opportunities for positive youth engagement.
In addition to the mini-grants already funded, Revere on the Move has extended their permanent change and program mini-grant applications to Sunday, March 4. Up to $1,395 is available for ideas that make it easier to eat healthy and be active for all. The application is open to community organizations, neighborhood groups, city departments, schools, businesses and others who want to take on a project to help make Revere a healthier community. Applications can be found at http://tiny.cc/RevereMarchGrant. For assistance with any questions contact Dimple Rana at [email protected].
MGH Revere CARES Coalition invites the community to help us congratulate our 2018 mini-grant awardees!
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Projects funded to increase healthy eating and active lifestyles in Revere:
North Revere Urban Trail: Awarded $7,500 to install a two-mile urban walking trail in North Revere to provide a safe marked route for people to partake in a healthy walk while enjoying scenic views of Rumney Marsh on the Northern Strand Community Trail and the new Harmon Park planned for the spring.
Half Day Hoops Program: Awarded $1,605 to the Revere Police Department to offer free mini basketball clinics for middle and high school students. These mini-clinics will increase physical activity among youth and will help address substance abuse issues.
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Youth-Led mini-grants to prevent drug and alcohol use by Revere youth:
Youth Knowledge Fair: Awarded $1,500 to the Youth Health Leadership Council to create a knowledge fair for youth focusing on mental health, substance abuse prevention, active living, healthy eating and college preparation for middle and high school students.
Girls Empowerment Club: Awarded $770 dollars to Kamilla Calle, a junior at Revere High School, to create a Girls Empowerment Club to help empower and build relationships among elementary and middle school girls
Meditation and Yoga Program: Awarded $205 to Jorge and Porfi, students at Revere High School, to create a meditation and yoga program meant to reduce stress and anxiety.
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Revere on the Move Youth-Led mini-grants:
Field Trip to Natick Community Organic Farms: Awarded $525 to Truc Nguyen, a Revere High School student, to organize a field trip to Natick Community Organic Farms. This field trip will help Revere High School students connect with nature and learn about farming and gardening.
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Funded Projects to prevent drug and alcohol use by Revere youth:
Sidewalk Buttlers for Cigarette Butts: Awarded $852 to the Revere Community Committee (through The Neighborhood Developers) to install five cigarette butlers in the Shirley Avenue business district. This environmental strategy is meant to promote cleanliness and increase mental health due to an environmental change in the Shirley Avenue neighborhood.
Meditation and Mindfulness for Garfield Middle School Students: Awarded $1,508.71 to the Garfield Middle School to improve mental wellness through a meditation and mindfulness club. This club would offer students the opportunity to learn strategies to cope with the worries and anxieties that they experience daily.
Youth Programming for Disabled Youth: Awarded $1,177.62 to the Revere Commission on Disabilities through a youth program meant to create a safe environment for disabled youth. This program will help disabled youth of all ages learn and implement artistic, social, education and emotional skills so they feel like they belong and are the same as the abled body youth and youth adults in our city.
GREAT Youth and Families Program: Awarded $1,276.67 to Housing Families Inc. to help them with their GREAT Youth and Families Program, which helps children develop Growth, Resilience, Empowerment, Acceptance and Trust. The program serves children, youth and parents who have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity.
Improbable Players: Awarded $1,615 to the Rumney Marsh Academy for a performance from Improbable Players. The show, presented by youth actors who are in long-term recovery, incorporates dramatic performances and theatre workshops that help people recognize situations in their own lives and seek the help they need.
Chris Herren Presentation for Eighth Graders: Awarded $1,570 to Revere Public Schools for a presentation from former Boston Celtic Chris Herren about his struggles with drugs and alcohol.
