Truliant Federal Credit Union Awards $22,000 in Grants to Community Nonprofits

Truliant Awards 24 Community Mini Grants to Nonprofits WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Nonprofit organizations gathered more than 19,000 online votes in less than a month to pick this years Truliant Federal Credit Union Community Mini Grant recipients. Truliant recently awarded $22,000 in Mini Grant funds to 24 community nonprofit groups that will support operating, programming or capacity-building needs (a list of winners is at the bottom of this press release). Each group submitted a grant proposal for a project focusing on financial education, basic needs, arts and culture, or youth programming. Truliant chose 38 proposals as semifinalists from about 180 applications. To win, nonprofits mobilized fan votes by app for their favorite projects. "The Community Mini Grants program continues to bring high-quality local nonprofit programming to the regions where our members live," said Renee Shipko, Community Engagement Liaison for Truliant. "This is a fun contest that engages a large local online audience and raises greater awareness of the hard work done by local non-profit agencies." The Mini Grants program is now in its seventh year and has awarded more than $200,000 in funding. Truliant accepts applications from regions where the credit union offers membership in the Carolinas and Virginia. This years winners were from: Alamance, Randolph, Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Gaston, Guilford and Forsyth County in North Carolina; Greenville, S.C.; and Richmond, Wytheville and Radford in Virginia. Qualifying organizations who are interested in applying must have tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and be in existence for at least three years. About Truliant Federal Credit Union Truliant Federal Credit Union is a mission-driven, not-for-profit financial institution that promises to always have its member-owners best interest at heart by improving their lives through financial guidance and affordable financial services. Truliant was chartered in 1952 and now serves more than 190,000 members. It currently has 30 Member Financial Centers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. For more information on Truliant Federal Credit Union, visit www.truliant.org. 2015 Truliant Mini Grant Winners Alamance County

• Friends of the Alamance County Public Libraries (Burlington): To implement a childrens financial literacy program that focuses on skills needed to wisely manage money while incorporating hands-on activities, engaging lectures, stories and technology.

• Alamance Community College Foundation (Mebane): For the Student Distress Fund, which provides emergency assistance to qualified students who need help with bills that may prevent them from graduating.

Asheboro/Randolph County

• Victory Junction (Asheboro): To purchase adaptable equipment, such as aquatic wheelchairs, that give our campers living with chronic medical conditions a chance to explore, participate and succeed in pool activities.

• Access Dental Care (Asheboro, $500 grant winner): To purchase necessary supplies to provide dental care to the frail elderly, including those suffering from Alzheimers disease and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Charlotte Area

• Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County (Charlotte): To connect at-risk students at 42 high-need CMS schools with fundamental resources, services and relationships they need to stay in school, focus on their education and graduate.

• Hospitality House of Charlotte (Charlotte): To help cover 50 room nights for families with loves ones facing life-altering illnesses at the 22-bedroom home across from CMC Main Hospital.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Charlotte (Charlotte): To support expenses related to delivery of the Big Brothers Big Sisters innovative new mentoring program, Mentor 2.0, which supports high school students in low-income communities achieve academic success.

• Matthews Free Clinic (Matthews): To purchase medical supplies used to provide free primary and specialty care to low income, uninsured people.

• Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (Charlotte): To provide scholarship funding to qualifying students from CMS Schools to participate in JA Biz Town Summer Camp in 2016, where they will spend a week creating their own business, inventing new products and running their own simulated town.

Cleveland/Gaston Counties

• Kings Mountain Historical Museum (Shelby): To assist with the museums operating and programming costs for the 13^th Annual "Toys, Games and Trains" exhibit a signature model train display which has become a holiday tradition in the region.

• Child Care Connections (Shelby): To purchase a new computer server to continue assisting the needs of families and providers as the lead agency for child care referral and resources serving Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties.
• Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (Gaston County, $500): To assist with financial education in Gaston County classrooms.

Greenville, SC

• Habitat for Humanity of Greenville (Greenville): To cover the cost of building a childs bedroom in a new, single family home.

• United Ministries (Greenville, $500): To purchase canned protein items, such as tuna, ham and peanut butter, and to keep a supply of those items on hand to feed over 6,000 residents of Greenville County each year.

Guilford County

• Family Services of the Piedmont (High Point): To provide an hour-long budgeting workshop to 20 Guilford County graduates to increase their financial capability and manage their student loan obligations.

• Womens Resource Center (Greensboro): To support the Womens Financial Fitness Project a project that recognizes and addresses womens unique needs and perspectives involving money and credit.

• High Points Arts Council (High Point): To fund the John Coltrane Jazz Workshop that allows middle and high school students the opportunity to learn jazz history and theory from highly regarded jazz specialists across the state.

Virginia

• Safe Harbor (Richmond): To support the costs associated with providing essential services to survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

• HOPE, Inc. (Wytheville): Weekend backpack of food for one student at each of five local elementary schools over the 36 week school year.

• Childrens Trust (Radford/New River Valley): To provide continued training for Multi-Disciplinary Teams to help abused children begin their healing.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County

• Bookmarks (Winston-Salem): To provide a customized home library for families and individuals who have a house built through Habitat for Humanity in Winston-Salem.

• Clemmons Food Pantry (Clemmons): To provide fresh fruits and vegetables as part of their food allotment for families and individuals in need in Forsyth County.

• Kernersville Little Theatre (Kernersville): To help with costs associated with the live production of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" which will also include the classic book to be distributed to students at Kernersville Elementary School.

• Crisis Control Ministry (Winston-Salem, $500): To assist in purchasing bar scanners for use in conjunction with the computerized pharmacy system.