Destiny 2024 Q1

Women’s History Month

Honoring the women who help others rise to their potential

Deborah Drew Christine Berardi Kahri Fuller Pamela Focá

Melanie Littlejohn Lorraine Lynch

Eboné M. Carrington Board Director Board Director Board Director

Carmen Fields

Eileen Cohen Chair Vice – Chair

National Grid Foundation Kicks Off 25th Anniversary with

1.5 Million Dollar Gift in support of three fuel-neutral emergency heating funds in Massachusetts and New York.

By Deborah Drew

The recipient organizations are United Way of Massachusetts Bay, United Way of Long Island and Catholic Charities Diocese of Albany. This special donation supplements the Foundation’s “traditional” annual heating fund grants and combines support of these emergency programs at a record-breaking $1.5 million level; each organization has received a total of $500,000 in support of its heat fund program.

“This gift helps celebrate the Foundation’s 25 years of service in our communities and highlights our core principle: Giving people the tools they need to build hope is an essential ingredient in the development of individuals, families and building stronger communities,” said Eileen

Cohen, Chair, National Grid Foundation. “As so many are experiencing the rising cost of living, and our neighbors and communities are strained by tough economic times, we are pleased to once again be able to help and support these fuelneutral emergency heating and utility funds.” Cohen continued, “We have a long history of serving as a community partner, understand the critical need in our communities, and want our neighbors to know we are here for them. We are so grateful to organizations like United Way and Catholic Charities Albany as they help deliver so many much-needed services during these trying economic times.” ❧

Photos: United Way of Long Island

Photos: United Way of Mass Bay

UNITED WAY LONG ISLAND Project Warmth

Already has served 903 families, with over 100 in the queue.

By February 15th, UWLI expects that more than 1050 families and seniors will have been served.

The entire gift will serve about 1000 families (based on an average award per family of $500)

CATHOLIC CHARITIES, ALBANY

Emergency Energy Assistance Program

With the additional $200,000 Catholic Charities estimates that it could serve an additional 410 households.

With the total $500,000 it estimates that it could serve a total of 1,050 households.

The incremental $200,000 should provide utility assistance for roughly 333 households totaling over 830 households served by the entire gift.

Photos: Catholic Charities

UNITED WAY MASS BAY Family Fund /Emergency Home Heating Assistance Program

Earthwatch Scientists' Study Climate Change

National Grid Foundation Supports Teach Earth Program's Five Teach Earth Fellows From The Boston Public Schools

Teach Earth 2023 kicked off with a team of 12 teachers at the University of Reno campus in July to support our Earthwatch scientists' study on Climate Change and Caterpillars in Nevada. The team spent nine actionpacked days together in the Great Basin, gathering data on the patterns of interaction diversity between plants, caterpillars, and parasitoids. Most of their time together was spent outside among the stunning landscapes, searching for caterpillars and collecting plant samples. Once samples were gathered, the teachers learned to rear the collected caterpillars and process their invaluable data.

In August, a second Teach Earth group of nine teachers packed their bags and journeyed to Golfo Dulce to participate in Earthwatch’s expedition Conserving Marine Mammals in Costa Rica. Once there, they spent a week working alongside their team of researchers studying life underwater, from humpback whales to spotted dolphins. Much of the research on this project takes place on board a 27-foot motorboat as the group

sets out to observe the whale and dolphin species, monitoring their behavior and habitat over time. In addition to the usual research tasks, this team had the unique opportunity to assist the scientists with a necropsy of a predatory roosterfish as part of their efforts to understand the trophic web of Golfo Dulce better.

When teams were not busy working with and learning from the Earthwatch scientists, they spent their time learning from one another. Each Teach Earth team included one Senior Fellow who had experienced an Earthwatch expedition before and done impressive work bringing their prior experience back to the classroom. As a unique part of Teach Earth, the Senior Fellows ran five professional development workshops on bringing the expedition experience back to their community and students. As team leaders, they also organized a team blog. These activities are pivotal to the experience as the teachers work together and learn so much from one another. ❧

Photos: Earthwatch

“I will bring back the joy of seeing animals in the wild and the urgency to protect them and to keep nature wild and free from plastic and other harmful pollutants, especially human influence. I learned so much, so I will share my learning and experience with them, and in my geography classroom, we can connect environmental science and sustainability to human interaction and change… I want to teach students that they make a difference even if they are one person.”

— Laura Lanik, Teach Earth 2023 teacher

Teach Earth Program Impact

Beyond the immediate teacher experience in the field, the impact of Teach Earth is profound. The 21 teachers who returned to their classrooms this fall are now brimming with increased confidence and motivation, armed with fresh updates to their curriculum and teaching methodologies that will ultimately influence 2,000 students annually.

The impact of Teach Earth continues to shine through the evaluations submitted by all 21 teachers. Highlights of the impact on the 2023 cohort of Teach Earth teachers include:

90% 90% 95% 100% of teachers increased their understanding of the importance and role of citizen/ participatory science in supporting research. of teachers increased their understanding of the importance of the data and research being conducted. of teachers were motivated to engage in civic or community action to support environmental sustainability.

of teachers were inspired to act in their professional lives to create a more sustainable world.

YMCA of Greater NYC Empowers Students Through Rowe Scholars Program

By Christine Berardi Oumaima Karimi, Institutional Giving, YMCA of Greater New York, provided the responses for YMCA.

National Grid Foundation funds and supports dozens of organizations throughout the year. We are highlighting YMCA of Greater NYC and its Rowe Scholarship Program.

National Grid Foundation (NGF): Briefly describe the Rowe Scholars Program

YMCA of Greater NYC (YMCA NYC): Rowe Scholars is the YMCA’s free signature college access program designed for teens attending New York City public high schools. Rowe Scholars offers critical support to help teens develop the skills, habits, and attitudes necessary for success in high school and beyond.

NGF: Who participates and benefits?

YMCA NYC: Rowe Scholars is open to all students with no academic requirements. The program is conducted on-site by a team of caring, trained professionals working closely with host school principals and teaching staff. Scholars benefit from grade-level cohorts, fostering a peer support network. Instructors tailor weekly classes to students' academic levels, guided by a fouryear, grade-specific college access curriculum. Rowe Scholars empowers first-generation college students and is committed to serving and empowering economically disadvantaged youth, students from single-parent households or nonparental caregiver settings, and those with foreign-

born parents who speak languages other than English at home.

NGF: How many students are in the program?

YMCA NYC: In the ‘23 –‘24 school year, The Rowe Scholars will serve 900+ students operating in 18 sites across the five boroughs—8 sites based in schools, and 10 sites based in YMCA branches.

NGF: Why is the program successful? Why is it needed?

YMCA NYC: The program is successful because it catalyzes student success offering a multi-faceted approach to empowering underserved youth in New York City, assisting them in overcoming obstacles and achieving academic and career aspirations.

The program is committed to providing a comprehensive support system that addresses the unique barriers faced by underserved youth. By offering a combination of college access classes, social-emotional learning, financial literacy education, job readiness training, test preparation resources, college tours, and guidance through

the college application process, the program empowers students to succeed in high school, pursue higher education, and achieve their career goals. This holistic approach ensures that students are equipped with the tools they need to thrive academically, emotionally, and professionally.

NGF: Do you stay connected with graduates of the program?

YMCA NYC: After graduation, students stay connected through the newly launched alumni services program, AlumnY, focusing on the critical first-year college experience, fostering persistence in higher education, and facilitating employment with living wages and progressive career advancement.

NGF: How has the National Grid Foundation’s support helped YMCA grow the program in the past 5 years?

YMCA NYC: The YMCA is grateful for the past five years of partnership with National Grid Foundation. Your support of the Rowe Scholars program significantly enhances educational attainment among participating students. By providing targeted academic support, college access curriculum, and standardized test preparation, the program has achieved an impressive 90% or higher on-time graduation rate for senior Rowe Scholars in the past five years. ❧

Testimonials

"National Grid Foundation has been very instrumental in helping the YMCA expand and increase the college and career access program happening at our YMCAs in Brooklyn and Queens. The contributions from the National Grid Foundation empower teens to participate in our college tours and SAT prep program. These contributions help increase on-time graduation and college matriculation rates in communities where it is needed most."

Jason Wolf, Senior Director of College and Career Programs

"I immigrated to New York almost 5 years ago, in October of 2018 with my mom and my sister, after my dad who came here 3 years before us. I came here with no knowledge of English and wasn’t exactly sure how my life was going to be from that moment forward. In my first year in New York, I was fully an introverted person who didn’t talk to anybody, who was too scared to come out of her shell. It wasn’t until high school that I accepted the fact that to see personal growth in myself I had to start working hard and putting myself out there. This is exactly how I knew how much I needed the YMCA throughout my high school career.

Photos by: Louis Chan

Continued from page 9

Continuing, “Some might say curiosity might not always be a good thing because life is better when you don’t overwhelm your brain with a lot of unnecessary information right? But some might think curiosity might be a good thing because you never know what type of door of opportunities it might open for you. Well, this is exactly how I joined the YMCA. I joined it because I was very curious to see what this program was all about which upperclassmen at my school would always talk about. Joining the Y along with my two best friends was one of the biggest and most memorable highlights of the last 2 years of my high school career. Going to all the career/social events, attending college trips such as going to Columbia University, going to a rally trip and even becoming a YMCA ambassador has taught me about the importance of a growth mindset and that when you have goals and passion you hope to achieve, you will go after those goals no matter the amount of hard work, effort and even stress it’ll take. YMCA has taught me so much about myself and provided me with a space where I got to be my most authentic self, which was one of the aspects of my identity, I constantly struggled with growing up."

Zakhro Kakhramonova, Rowe Scholar Alumna

"Rowe scholars and Leaders Club taught me team-building skills and how to communicate with others in my community and beyond. The Y has helped me find my path to college.”

Tristan-Lee Edwards, Rowe Scholar

Photos by: Louis Chan

National Grid Foundation Partner Spotlight: Citizens NYC

Citizens NYC works to improve the quality of life of New Yorkers one small grant at a time. As one of the oldest micro-funders in the country, the organization (formerly known as Citizens Committee for NYC) connects grassroots leaders with people and resources to make an impact in their communities. Citizens NYC’s provides Community Leaders grants up to $3,000 and Neighborhood Business grants up to $5,000.

Through the Community Leaders grant program, these leaders design, develop, implement, and sustain community-centered initiatives that bring people together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

For 10 years, National Grid Foundation has supported the organization with grants that champion more than 100 community projects focused on educational and environmental initiatives in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. In 2023, Citizens NYC made a total of 350 grants to community projects and small businesses across 130 neighborhoods.

Citizens NYC profiled two organizations supported by National Grid Foundation’s grant.

Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE) is a grassroots non-profit organization in Brooklyn, New York that engages young people as community agents for human rights change using visual arts. Given the great disparity in access to the arts across the city, their work centers on the lived experiences and strives to provide a human rights education framework for young people of color ages 13-18 throughout public schools, community centers, and in incarcerated spaces. “Community has always been a verb, an opportunity to create a safe, creative, joyful space, where individuals, especially young people, feel they have a voice and that voice matters.” Marissa Gutierrez-Vicario, Founding Executive Director of ARTE.

ARTE: Grassroots Brooklyn nonprofit gives young people a voice using visual arts use visual arts along with community art projects.

Photo: Citizens NYC

Networking: Grantee partners meet to learn from one another and from Citizens NYC.

Citizens NYC 2023 BY THE NUMBERS

Continued from page 11

Staten Island’s Hill Street Community Garden’s mission is to create and sustain a community that empowers, educates, and supports its members and residents through gardening. With a focus on food justice, youth development, and NYCHA engagement in the Stapleton neighborhood, Hill Street Community Garden provides garden education and a space for individuals to grow their own vegetables.

In January 2024, Citizens NYC hosted its second series of quarterly Network Convening meetings bringing together 100+ grantee partners at five events throughout NYC. These meetings provide spaces for Citizens NYC grantee partners to foster opportunities to learn from each other, identify additional opportunities for support, and build collaborations that expand impact.❧

To learn more about Citizens NYC, view the 2023 Impact Report. To find NYC projects, look at Citizens NYC interactive map.

HOW DID THEY IMPROVE NYC

350 unique and innovative projects across

Hill Street Garden: Volunteers at Staten Island’s Hill Street Garden prepare to grow their own vegetables.

Photo: Citizens NYC

Photo: Citizens NYC

BCAT Class of 2023

All the hard work paid off for nearly 100 students at Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) when they graduated in December 2023. Many students are now employed at companies such as Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ingram Micro, Odoo and Wegmans in the Buffalo, NY area.

National Grid Foundation supports the Workforce Development Program - Pathways to Economic Stability program which assists adults for careers in information technology and allied health fields, specifically medical coding, pharmacy technician, phlebotomy, and medical billing/insurance. Participants gain a second chance to successfully secure a pathway to a mid-skill career and familysustaining wages.

“BCAT, with generous support from National Grid Foundation, delivered 11 cost-free classes in 2023 in Allied Health and Information Technology to Buffalo residents pursuing economically stable careers and futures. National Grid Foundation is truly committed to supporting the communities and the neighbors they serve,” said Gina Burkhardt, BCAT CEO. ❧

Photos: Nancy Parisi

2022 – 2023

707 teens participated in the Minority Achievers program which includes academic support, college prep, exposure to careers, and mentoring.

YMCA Central Mass Minority Achiever Program

SO much to learn on our college tour visits with the YMCA of Central Massachusetts!

of seniors in the program matriculated to college in 2023

The YMCA’s Central Community Branch leads a national college tour for Worcester teens to Florida. Top highlights include stops at Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A&M University.

WSU College Tour: Sometimes a GREAT university is right down the road – literally less than 5 miles! Students from the YMCA of Central Massachusetts’ Greendale Family Branch tour Worcester State University.

Photo: YMCA Teen Staff

YMCA Boston Minority Achiever Program

2022 – 2023

175

teens

SAMPLE

of the program’s seniors graduated from high school and planned to attend college or pursue an advanced degree program this fall.

COLLEGES ATTENDING

■ UMass Boston ■ UMass Amhears ■ Centre College in Kentucky

■ UMass Dartmouth ■ Boston College ■ Johnson & Wales University

“Opportunity is everywhere. The key is to develop the vision to see it.”

– Anonymous

Photo by Dmitry Grigoriev on Unsplash