Grants and Tithing

Tithe Grant Thank You
Our tithe grant fund to GIve Us Wings in December of 2018 will be used to provide financial literacy training in rural communities in Uganda. This will allow them to increase productivity and income. We are changing lives in Uganda. We are also helping restore hope and rebuilding villages in Kenya.

Grant to Avenues for Homeless Youth 
In January, St. Joseph the Worker granted $2000 to the Avenues for Homeless Youth (located in Brooklyn Park). Avenues for Homeless Youth provides emergency shelter, short-term housing, and supportive services for homeless youth in a safe and supportive environment. The requested funds will be used to provide general support for Brooklyn Avenues which is a 12-bed shelter that also provides a transitional housing program for youth ages between 16 to 21. Once a youth has moved out they are still cared for, as the Avenues for Homeless Youth ensures that their basic needs are met, goals are pursued, and that they are empowered in the end. For more information, go to http://avenuesforyouth.org/ Grant to Elpis Enterprises Also in the month of January, St. Joseph the Worker granted $2000 to Elpis Enterprises (located in St. Paul). What makes Elpis Enterprises unique is that it gives young people paid work experience while also giving them employment readiness training (offering these positions to those who are homeless or are on the verge of being).The requested funds will be used to strengthen the employment readiness training which will put a strong emphasis on the development of ‘soft skills’ such as:communication, work ethic, creative thinking,etc. By doing this, youth are given skills that will stick with them no matter where they go, and because of it they gain some self-control of their situation and are able to redirect it. For more information, go to https://www.elpisenterprises.org/

Tithe Grant to Centro Guadalupano 
In October, St. Joseph the Worker granted $1000 to Centro Guadalupano (located in Minneapolis). The Centro Guadalupano supports the community by providing ELL classes to adults and giving their children a safe space to learn. From Centro Guadalupano’s involvement, adults are equipped with critical skills such as reading, writing, finding employment, etc all of which are necessary to make it here. The funds granted will be used to cover any materials needed for these ELL classes and also for the kids after school programs. For more information, go to https://www.guadcenter.org/

Thank you from Lift Garage 
Lift Garage thanks us for our gift of $2500 shared with them to fulfill their goal of providing low cost car repair and free pre-purchase vehicle inspections for low income Minnesotans. Since their inception in 2012 they are now able to be open 5 days a week, have 4.5 full time mechanics and have saved low income MN’s over $950,000 in car repair costs, completing 55-65 car repairs each month.

Parish Tithe 
Girls in Action was founded in 2005 to address the rise in violent, destructive, and delinquent behavior being exhibited by the students at Minneapolis North High School. Its mission is to motivate, mentor, empower, engage, and educate girls to succeed in school and life. In its first year, the project resulted in a 50% decrease in school violence, suspensions, delinquent, and destructive behavior among girls and a significant increase in academic engagement. It now serves girls in grades 6-12 at several Minneapolis and St. Paul schools; and girls who participate in Girls in Action are at a 95% graduation rate compared to 60% for Minneapolis public schools and are twice as likely to attend post-secondary education than other girls in their high schools. Girls in Action trains women from the community to mentor and empower girls using a structured curriculum. The female mentors work with the girls during the school day once a week and also connect with them during the week at home. They provide mentoring, career coaching, connections to corporations, college tours, cultural exposure to the arts, and academic motivation and tutoring before, during, and after school. Their goal is to ensure each girl graduates from high school on time and proceeds on to college, where 90% of them will be first-generation college students. The $3,000 grant for which Girls in Action applied and which was provided by St. Joseph the Worker will help supply $250-1,000 scholarships to all recent graduates.
For more information, please see giaction.org.

Tithe Grant Opportunity

The parish community of St. Joseph the Worker is inviting organizations to submit an application to be part of our tithe sharing with the greater community.  As part of our Catholic Social Teaching, we feel that we have a responsibility to share our resources and financial blessings with other organizations striving to build relationships to strengthen communities through social justice. Our goal is to distribute most funds to programs that seek to empower individuals and groups to make systemic change.

Download more information

Download the 2018 Tithe Grant Application
 

Tithe Grant Thank you
Immigration Law Center of MN sincerly appreciates the generous gift of $2000 from SJTW. Your gift will help enhance opportunities for immigrants and refugees through legal representation, education and advocacy. Today’s immigrants and refugees continue to strengthen the fabric of our communities as they work, live and grow. Support for our work makes a difference in the lives of our clients, their families and their communities. For more information go to www.ilcm.org.

In October the Osseo Areas Schools McKinney-Vento Program was granted funding of $500.
The McKinney-Vento Act provides homeless and highly mobile students with certain rights so they have access to the same programs and services available to all other students, including transportation and supplemental educational services. 
In 2009, the Osseo Areas Schools (ISD279) started receiving federal funding to implement the McKinney-Vento Homeless Program. The mission of Osseo Area School's program is to inspire and prepare all students with the confidence, courage, and competence to achieve their dreams, contribute to community, and engage in a lifetime of learning. 
The grant provided by St. Joseph the Worker Church supports the 500 identified homeless students and their families with gas and food gift cards not currently covered under the McKinney-Vento Federal funding.

The Lift Garage applied for, and was provided, a grant in the amount of $3,000. 
The Lift Garage was founded in 2012 by a social worker who repeatedly saw how devastating the expensive cost of car repair could be. People who can't afford to have their cars fixed can't get to work and therefore lose their jobs. In a domino effect, without jobs they lack the money to pay for housing and end up homeless. In addition, she noted that clients who cannot afford the cost of car repair - but also cannot afford to stop driving - too often drive dangerous vehicles or spend winter in Minnesota living in a car without brakes or heat. When the Lift Garage opened its doors in 2013 it was open one day per week, but almost immediately demand for service required increased capacity. With community support, the Lift Garage is now open five days a week and has four working lifts, a diagnostic mobile van, four full-time and one part-time mechanic, and two full-time and one part-time administrative staff.
Their services now include car maintenance and repair, free pre-purchase inspections, car care classes, and social service resource and referral in order to allow them to remain stable, self-sufficient, and in their homes.
The funds donated by St. Joseph the Worker will be used for shop supplies, the cost of which, normally passed on to the customer, is absorbed by The Lift Garage; and for a one year subscription to software Identifix, the service, maintenance, and repair industry's largest and most reliable database utilized to diagnose and determine needed parts and repairs.
For more information, please see www.theliftgarage.org

St. Joseph the Worker provided a grant in the amount of $2,000 to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota to further its mission to enhance opportunities for immigrants and refugees through legal representation for low-income individuals, education, and advocacy throughout Minnesota. ILCM answers the urgent need for immigration legal service for low-income clients of all nationalities. In 2016 alone, ILCM provided services to 4,113 individuals, estimated to represent a total of 10,282 individuals when family members are considered, and 118 countries. In the current political climate, ILCM's services are in high demand to stabilize families and keep them safe. In addition, their education and advocacy work is critical to immigrant communities seeking trustworthy information about all aspects of the fast-changing immigration policy. 

ILCM's goals include remedying legal problems by providing quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants and refugees of all nationalities, addressing the primary barriers New Americans face in achieving legal protections and leading stable lives; preventing legal problems by providing law-related education to immigrants and refugees of all nationalities, thereby alerting individuals and families to available legal protections and rights; and raising public awareness of immigration issues in order to encourage compassionate and practical public policy and protect universal human rights.

For more information please see www.ilcm.org

Mobile Hope - Dayton
Mobile Hope - Dayton requested and received a social justice grant from St. Joseph the Worker in the amount of $2,000. The mission of this organization is to honor God by building a culture of achievement in mobile home communities where families succeed, students excel, and the community shares hope for today and hope for the future. Mobile Hope is an organization of individuals, churches, and agencies invested in advancing their mission through student education, skills and opportunity enhancement for residents, and provision of healthy activities for everyone's participation, all based on Christian faith in action.
The Dayton Mobile Home Park is located far from other neighborhoods in the Anoka School District, which makes it almost impossible for children to stay after school for tutoring. Previously, the Dayton Mobile Home Park had no multi-purpose facility in which residents could gather, meetings could be held, or classes could be offered. Recently the park contributed a double wide trailer to alleviate that need. 
The $2,000 provided by the St. Joseph the Worker social justice parish tithe will allow the organization to reconfigure the existing small-office set-up. They expect to add class rooms and an art room, as well as adding a stove and refrigerator to the current kitchen so refreshments may be offered as appropriate during various programs. Contact Cathy Walter for information how you can get involved at 612-306-6943.

SJTW Grants $1500 to Mary’s Pence
Mary’s Pence was founded in 1987. They invest in women across America by funding their initiatives and fostering collaborations to create social change.

Funds donated will be used to support the ESPERA program. The program partners with existing women’s groups to fund community lending pools, loans from these pools are used by women for income generating projects which enables them to gain increased economic security. For more information, go to www.maryspence.org.

Girls in Action
In May, St. Joseph the worker granted $2000 to Girls in Action. GIA motivates, mentors, empowers, engages and educates girls to succeed in school and life.
The funds requested will be used to provide college scholarship to all recent ‘Girls in Action’ high school graduates. The goal is see that every girl graduates from high school on time and enrolls in college. This goal is supported by providing these girls with $250-$1000 scholarships.
For more information, go to www.giaction.org.

Freedom Works
Freedom Works is one of the organizations SJTW donates to in our tithe grants. Their mission is a Christian community providing housing and meaningful employment, trusting God to transform prisoners’ lives through Bible study, personal accountability, service and fellowship. You are invited to a "Get Involved" volunteer breakfast on Saturday, May 20  from 9-10:30 a.m. at Wayzata Evangelical Church. Please rsvp to admin@freedomeworks.com or call 612-522-9007 to attend.

Cross Peace of Mind Housing Assistance Program
St. Joseph the Worker granted $2000 to Cross Peace of Mind Housing Assistance Program. Its mission is to provide mercy and aid to those in the community who are seeking help by providing compassionate and supportive services. For 40 years, Cross has provided assistance to families and individuals living in Maple Grove, Osseo, Champlin, Corcoran, Dayton and Rogers.
Cross requested funding to assist local families in housing crisis through the Peace of Mind Housing Assistance Program. Funds provided through St. Joseph the Worker’s Social justice Fund along with other funders will help families remain in their homes and in the community by providing monetary mortgage/rental assistance during financial crisis.
For more information, go to www.crossservices.org.

Elpis Enterprises
St. Joseph the worker granted $1000 to Elpis Enterprises. Founded in 2002, the mission of Elpis has been Youth development through social enterprise. Elpis provides paid work experience and employment readiness training that meet the needs of young people between the ages of 16 and 23 years who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness. Its goal is to make the trainees employment-ready or able to launch a career of their choosing. Requested funds will be used to support employment readiness training that helps trainees develop the soft skills needed to gain employment. For more information, go to www.elpisenterprises.org.

Avenues for Homeless Youth
In January, St. Joseph the Worker granted $2000 to Avenues for Homeless Youth. Located in Brooklyn Park and also known as Brooklyn Avenues, its mission is to provide emergency shelter, short term housing and supportive services for homeless youths in a safe and nurturing environment. Through these services, Avenues seeks to help these youths achieve their personal goals and make a positive transition into young adulthood. Brooklyn Avenues youth are supported by youth counselors, volunteers, an education support specialist, a nurse and a mental health therapist. For more information, go to www.avenuesforyouth.org

Home Free
In April, St. Joseph the worker granted $2000 to Home Free. Funding will be used to support the program which provides emergency shelter and support services to nearly 20,000 battered women and their children. Our parish has had a long time partnering relationship with Home Free to support domestic abuse survivors. For more information, go to www.missionsinc.org/programs/home-free