FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Barbara J. Stark, Executive Director
561-279-2970
bstark@milagrocenter.org
Milagro Center Receives Challenge Grant From Hands On Tzedakah, Inc.
For Milagro’s Teen Program Serving Local Disadvantaged At-Risk Youth
Delray Beach, FL – Nonprofit arts and education program based Milagro Center is the recent recipient of a $12,000 challenge grant from Hands On Tzedakah, Inc. to be used towards the purchase of a new passenger van for Milagro’s Teen Program. On July 1, Hands On Tzedakah (HOT) Co-founder and CEO Ron Gallatin issued a challenge to Milagro to raise $12,000 (half the cost of the vehicle) by August 1, 2014, and if successful, HOT would grant the matching $12,000. In response, Milagro Center launched its “VAN-tastic Challenge.” With the help of many supporters, including the Wells Fargo Foundation, Florida Community Bank, GL Homes, PermaPlate, Kurt and Mary Ann Knaus, and Todd and Gina Skelton, Milagro successfully raised the funds needed to meet the challenge in just 9 days.
The new van will benefit Milagro Center’s Teen Leadership Program which serves middle and high school youth ages 12-18 years old in an afterschool and summer camp setting. Currently, over 50 teens attend the Teen Program which provides cultural arts exposure and instruction, academic tutoring, Living Values Education, financial literacy, recreational activities, life lessons and leadership skills. With the success of the “VAN-tastic Challenge,” the new passenger van will allow the Teen Program further growth by providing transportation from neighboring schools to the center. Additionally, the van will enable Milagro Center to add additional off-site field trips to its enrichment program.
Since 2013, Hands On Tzedakah has been an advocate of Milagro Center, raising and granting greater than $42,000 in support of Milagro’s math and literacy instruction, summer camp program, and center improvements such as an Automated External Defibrillator, outdoor drinking fountain, and security system. “We are extremely grateful that Hands on Tzedakah has provided Milagro Center with such important and ongoing support,” said Milagro Center Executive Director Barbara Stark. “It is gratifying that such a wonderful and respected organization that reaches donors worldwide acknowledges the tremendous impact Milagro Center’s programs have on the academic and social growth of the children and youth who attend our center right here in Delray Beach.”
About Milagro Center
Milagro Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is an arts and education program that nurtures the seeds of creativity, builds an indestructible sense of self worth, and inspires youth to reach their fullest potential. Milagro, which means “miracle” in Spanish, serves disadvantaged, undervalued children, teens, and families throughout South Florida. The Center’s four goals are to ensure academic success, promote the arts, teach inclusion while embracing diversity, and create strong individuals who positively impact their communities. Please visit the website at www.milagrocenter.org, become a Facebook fan of “The Milagro Center” Cause page, and follow Milagro Center on Twitter @MilagroCenter.
About Hands On Tzedakah, Inc.
Hands On Tzedakah’s mission is to reach out to individuals in need by supporting programs that fall below the radar screen of traditional funding. Hands On Tzedakah collaborates with people who dedicate themselves to helping others. We are partners (1) in programs where our funding serves to make a profound difference in people’s lives; and (2) with our donors by enabling them to see, touch, and feel the effect of their dollars at work. Please visit the website www.handsontzedakah.org.
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