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The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey awards $745,000 in grants to 16 Non-Profit Organizations throughout the state

Grantees include health and art-focused charitable groups across New Jersey

(Newark, NJ, April 15, 2014) – The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey has awarded its first round of 2014 grants, totaling $745,000, to support 16 New Jersey non-profit organizations.

 

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 “The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is pleased to support organizations that play an important part in the lives of our state’s residents,” said Robert A. Marino, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Chairman & CEO and Foundation Board Chairman. “From improving public health to enriching the arts, our most recent grantees are making a difference in the lives of the people they serve.”

 

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Since its inception in 2004, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey has awarded 981 grants totaling $34.9 million to support New Jersey non-profit organizations.

 

The Foundation awarded the following 16 grants at its March 2014 Board meeting:

·       Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey, in Cliftonreceived a $500,000 grant to support youth health initiatives. 

·       CancerCare, in Ridgewood, received a $35,000 grant to support the Early Detection and Education Program for Underserved Individuals in Newark. The program provides Hispanic men and women with education on the risks and detection of breast, cervical, colon and prostate cancer through free cancer education workshops and a mobile cancer screening program.

·       Essex County Parks Foundation, in Newark, received a $15,000 grant to support the Essex County Free Summer Music Concert Series, which offers free concerts in more than fifteen different parks within the Essex County Park System.

·       Garden State Philharmonic Symphony Society, in Toms River, received a $20,000 general operating support grant to fund seasonal programs,  transportation service to and from events for individuals from active adult and long-term care facilities, the Fourth of July concert, the scholarship program and  ticket packages for local charities.

·       Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties, in Somerville, received a $10,000 grant to support the Seniors in Communities program, which provides mental health counseling services to low and moderate income seniors and older disabled persons who are diagnosed with depression and are unable to come to the office for therapy services.

·       Luna Stage, in West Orange, received a $10,000 general operating support grant to fund educational and community outreach programming and the theater's commission of a new play. 

·       Main Street Counseling Service, in West Orange, received a $25,000 grant to support the Defeating Childhood Depression program during the 2014-2015 school year to combat depression and prevent obesity in childhood. 

·       New Jersey Hall of Fame, in Newark, received a $25,000 grant to support its Mobile Museum, which travels to schools and communities statewide.  The Mobile Museum introduces students to the stories and inspiration of New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees while enhancing New Jersey pride and community involvement.

·       New Jersey Repertory Company, in Long Branch, received a $10,000 general operating support grant to fund the Main Stage Series, the Developmental Reading Series, the Diversity Initiative, the Theatre Brut Short-Play Festival, the Young Playwrights Project and the Free Ticket Program for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

·       Newark School of the Arts, in Newark, received a $10,000 general operating support grant to fund their financial aid program, scholarship program and their ICAN (Initiative for Children's Arts in Newark) program which ensures Newark families learn about the school’s programs and have access to its offerings.

·       NewBridge Services, in Pompton Plains, received a $15,000 grant to support the Depression Screening for Adolescents program. The program, delivered in schools, will provide students and teachers with education on recognizing the signs of depression, provide guidelines for detection and then provide a professional staff person and screening tools to identify and measure depression, as well as referrals for treatment.

 

·      Northwest New Jersey Community Action Program, in Phillipsburg, received a $10,000 grant for The Shining Stars Arts Education Theater Program. The program is free for all children, including special needs children, and will help the participants develop public speaking skills, effective communication, theater and dance terminologies, rhythm, and syncopation, as well as showcase their unique talents and build confidence.

 

·       Paper Mill Playhouse, in Millburn, received a $15,000 grant for their Adopt-A-School Project at Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy in Elizabeth.  The four-year, goal-oriented, Adopt-A-School curriculum provides underserved students with direct, immersive access to Paper Mill's staff, main stage productions, artists and designers, teaching artists, workshops and audience guides.

 

·       Princeton Festival, in Princeton, received a $15,000 general operating support grant to fund the 2014 artistic season and their 10th anniversary.  In celebration, the Festival is planning a production of Porgy and Bess as the centerpiece of the Anniversary season.

·       Symphony in C, in Collingswood, received a $20,000 general operating support grant to fund the Professional Development Internship Program and to provide the interns with training as concert musicians and teaching artists in the Symphony's educational outreach programs.  Symphony in C musicians currently provide after school music lessons at the five Camden Catholic Partnership schools, where 51 students currently take lessons in strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion.

·       Two River Theatre Company, in Red Bank, received a $10,000 grant to support the Theater Access for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program, which provides sign interpretation, open captioning, audio description, assistive listening devices, large print playbills and wheelchair accessibility.

 

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is celebrating 10 years of serving New Jersey’s communities. The Foundation promotes health, well-being, and quality of life across our state by supporting charitable organizations.  For more information about the Foundation, visit www.horizonblue.com/foundation.

 

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