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American Fundraising Foundation Announces Golden Pear Award Recipients MAITLAND, Fla. (August 20, 2020) – The American Fundraising Foundation (AmFund) has announced 21 Golden Pear Award recipients as part of its expanded support for qualified nonprofit organizations throughout the nation. Over 615 organizations applied for these additional funding opportunity grants due to the adverse impact of the pandemic on their fundraising abilities. “Each organization effectively demonstrated their need, and as a nonprofit ourselves, it was a very difficult decision to choose some organizations over others”, said Deborah Marshall, Chief Operating Officer of the American Fundraising Foundation. “We are grateful to the nonprofit community for continuing to make life better for all of us through their varied missions. The Golden Pear is part of our logo and symbolizes good health, prosperity, longevity and future happiness – all the things we hope for these worthy organizations.” This year’s Golden Pear Award recipients, receiving unrestricted grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 are: Act Now Foundation – North Bergen, New Jersey EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Foundation – Niceville, Florida Marian Hope Center for Children’s Therapy – Independence, Missouri Missions On Wheels – Magnolia, Texas Sunlight Children’s Advocacy – Andover, Kansas Delaware Humane Association – Wilmington, Delaware Why Not Prosper – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Feed My Starving Children – Coon Rapids, Minnesota Gilda’s Club – Rochester, New York The Vine School – Victoria, Texas Agape Animal Rescue – Old Hickory, Tennessee Family & Children Services – Midland, Michigan Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine – Lakeland, Florida Riverstone Senior Life Services – New York, New York Al Wooten, Jr. Youth Center – Los Angeles, California Ronald McDonald House of Houston/Galveston – Bellaire, Texas Heart Haven Outreach – Bolingbrook, Illinois The Foundation of Hope – Raleigh, North Carolina Racine Zoo – Racine, Wisconsin Matthew’s Hope Ministries – Orlando, Florida South Shore YMCA – Norwell, Massachusetts “We congratulate the recipients of this year’s awards and are grateful for all the organizations who applied. Their stories are heartwarming and compelling. I cannot imagine life without the valuable services they provide. We will continue to work with each applicant to provide additional support through our signature sponsorship of events,” said Marshall. AmFund routinely supports hundreds of nonprofits through sponsorship of events; however, with the necessity of cancelling events, the landscape for fundraising has rapidly changed. As a result, AmFund introduced a new VIP Virtual Silent Auction and a new electronic platform uniquely designed for organizations chosen to be supported by AmFund. The American Fundraising Foundation, a GuideStar Platinum rated 501(c)3 nonprofit, has distributed over 36 million dollars to other service-providing nonprofits over the course of the past 20 years. It was also recognized as the 2020 Fundraiser of the Year by Nonprofit PRO. To apply for AmFund’s additional funding opportunities call 407-895-8000 or send an email to Info@AmFund.org Media Contact: Deborah Marshall Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer dmarshall@amfund.org (407) 895-8000 About the American Fundraising Foundation Each year, the American Fundraising Foundation (AmFund) carefully chooses organizations to support through sponsorship of events, unrestricted grant distribution, virtual silent auctions, and other programs to raise much-needed unrestricted funds for the important mission of those organizations. AmFund was recognized in 2020 by Nonprofit PRO as Fundraiser of the Year. It is also recognized with the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and since 1999 has distributed more than $36 million for worthy causes. Its signature silent auctions featuring once-in-a-lifetime experiences, that are good for three years with no blackout dates, are presented at organizations’ special events - drawing admiration, praise and excitement as the entire process elevates the event in the eyes of patrons, board members and the community. This year, it introduced AmFund VIP, a virtual silent auction that is becoming the “go-to” fundraising option for nonprofits. Leveraging more than two decades of fundraising experience, AmFund also provides expert training on a wide variety of topics and offers subject matter expertise through its Speaker’s Bureau for groups ranging in size from 12 to 500. For more information, visit www.amfund.org or call (407) 895-8000. Read AmFund’s blog at www.amfund.org/blog and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. ### #headlines #todaysnews #newsreporter #updatenews #newstoday #newsoftheday #newsupdate #latestnews #dailynews #breakingnews #news
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6/17/20 Contact: Rev. Dr. Michelle A. Simmons (215) 842-2360 whynotprosper@aol.com Local Nonprofit Executive Michelle Simmons Named to NSBA Leadership Council Germantown, PA – Rev. Dr. Michelle Simmons, Founder & CEO of Why Not Prosper, Philadelphia, PA was recently named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization, and operates on a staunchly nonpartisan basis. Simmons, a recognized leader in the small-business community, joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C. “As the operator of a nonprofit advocating criminal justice reform, I see daily the importance of being involved and active when it comes to laws and regulation,” stated Simmons. “Joining NSBA’s Leadership Council will enable me to take our collective message to the people that need to hear it most: Congress.” Simmons joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of her efforts to tackle the many critical issues facing small business, including tax reform, regulatory restraint, health care costs and how the Affordable Care Act will impact small business. The NSBA Leadership Council is focused on providing valuable networking between small-business advocates from across the country while ensuring small business a seat at the table as Congress and regulators take up key small-business proposals. “I am proud to have Rev. Simmons as part of our Leadership Council,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “She came to us highly recommended and I look forward our coordinated efforts for years to come.” Please click here to learn more about Why Not Prosper. For more on the NSBA Leadership Council, please visit www.nsba.biz Why Not Prosper has a mission to help women from prison systems discover their own strength by providing them with the support and resources that will empower them to become responsible, economically self-sufficient and contributing members of the community. ### We have made some temporary changes to our processes and programs due to the COVID19 virus. One major shift is that we cannot have a community dinner for our women until things are a little less restricting.
As we addressed this with our women, the thought was presented that we should turn our restriction into a blessing by using our time (and food) to do something good. The result is the Share the Bounty project. As the world faces the challenges of COVID-19, the fear of diminishing access to fresh food and produce grows nationwide. The greater Philadelphia area ranks in the top 10 U.S. cities with the highest number of food insecure residents, with more than 12% of the population in our region before the pandemic. Here in Philadelphia County, the number is higher than the national average, with an estimated 302,685 people living with food insecurity and increasing. During the pandemic we have been getting more food donations than usual from ShopRite, Relish Restaurant (takeout) and Wawa and we felt it was important that our neighbors have access to this food. So, our women have decided to “share the bounty” and distribute this food to the community. Share the Bounty involves distribution of food 4 days a week. Why Not Prosper women package the food according to what we have available and we ensure that the packages are balanced and have protein in them at least a couple of times a week. We are practicing social distancing and always include clean, healthy practices for food handling. The food packages are set out on two tables at our offices and there is a measured distance of 6 feet. Our neighbors stop by our location and are very grateful for the food and very respectful of our social distancing requirements. We are currently serving an average of 45 families a day. ‘What I want as an African-American woman is to be heard, be seen and be counted’ by Rev. Michelle6/5/2020 Read Rev. Michelle's full article here.Over $2 million goes to 44 regional nonprofits in first round distributions. Grants will be awarded weekly as crisis continues and challenges grow.
Why Not Prosper is one of them. READ PRESS RELEASE READ PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ARTICLE |