At Many Hands’ Annual Meeting on May 16, members heard from the four organizations chosen as finalists by the Education, Health, Housing, and Job Readiness Committees and chose Access Youth as the recipient of the 2019 Many Hands $100,000 grant. The three other finalists–CASA/Prince George’s County, Greater DC Diaper Bank, and New Endeavors by Women–will each receive a grant of $58,500, bringing the total awarded by Many Hands in this grant cycle to $275,500.

2019 Many Hands $100,000 Grant Recipient – Access Youth

Access Youth works to keep at-risk Washington, DC youth in school and out of the criminal justice system by reducing chronic truancy and suspensions and by promoting restorative justice as an alternative to punishment. Their program addresses behavioral problems and student disputes through individual mediation and by teaching life skills and conflict resolution.

Access Youth served 555 students this year at Ballou, Eastern, and Anacostia high schools in the District of Columbia and is in the process of expanding from a one-year to a four-year model and from three to ten Washington, DC schools. With the 2019 Many Hands $100,000 grant, Access Youth will develop its first peer mediation program, training student leaders to serve as peer mediators for their school communities.

2019 Many Hands $58,500 Health Grant Recipient – Greater DC Diaper Bank

Greater DC Diaper Bank provides basic baby and personal hygiene products to families in need. Supplies like diapers are distributed by partner organizations and serve as gateway resources to introduce hard-to-reach families in DC, Maryland, and Virginia to medical, mental health, housing, and employment services. Diaper Bank helped over 9,000 families this year and has distributed 7.5 million diapers, 436,000 hygiene products, and 185,712 eight-ounce bottles of infant formula since 2010.

2019 Many Hands $58,500 Housing Grant Recipient – New Endeavors by Women

New Endeavors by Women runs seven transitional and permanent housing programs, providing shelter and support to approximately 200 formerly homeless women and children. Clients include seniors, women with HIV, survivors of domestic violence, and women with mental illness and substance dependency. Along with housing, New Endeavors offers education, life skills, employment, substance abuse, and counseling support.

2019 Many Hands $58,500 Job Readiness Grant Recipient – CASA/Prince George’s County

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)/Prince George’s County partners with the juvenile court to improve the lives of abused and neglected children living in foster care. CASA serves 35% of Prince George’s County’s foster children through a network of 150 volunteers, who spend, on average, 10-15 hours per month with each child they represent, often becoming the primary source of stability in that child’s life. Within five years, CASA hopes to serve 100% of youth in the county foster care system.