Greenbelt Community Foundation Hands Out Grants Over Tea

More than 100 people attended the Greenbelt Community Foundation tea Feb. 27 at the Greenbelt Marriott to see who would receive the latest grants.

Grants were awarded to Girl Scout Troop 4816 and for their new and creative projects.

Shayna Coleman, of the Girl Scout Troop, accepted their grant at the ceremony, which will go toward their environmentally-conscious project. Since the project has four parts—planting a rain garden, improving the ecology of the wetlands pond at Hanover Parkway and establishing a water quality monitoring program for youth—they plan to match the grant through their own fundraising.

accepted the other grant that will go toward an after-school program for accelerated readers. The program will be headed by Esther Williams, an art teacher at the school, and will involve about 30 students in grades third through fifth.

Another special guest at the event was County Councilwoman Ingrid Turner (District 4), who presented the Foundation with a $2,500 grant, part of which will go toward another innovative Greenbelt project in the future.

The Foundation has helped the community of Greenbelt begin creative projects for the past six years and has given out almost $80,000. They have two grant cycles in a year and focus on helping activities flourish in Greenbelt by giving money for specific projects, like the Restroom Rescue Project and the .

“I think, in general, we have all benefitted from the unique, diverse, creative and exciting community of which we’re a part. And to bring that forward into the future for new Greenbelt, is remarkable and exciting,” Greenbelt Community Foundation Advisory Board member Dorrie Bates said. “I think it’s a desire to continue doing whatever this wonderful Greenbelt is, let’s just keep it going. We try very hard not to limit any of our thinking so we encourage projects to come from every part of our community.”

The Foundation is currently accepting proposals for spring grants, which are due April 15. There are guidelines for applying on their website.

Here's a list of grants they've already awarded:

Camp Fire USA-Patuxent Area Council (computer education)

Greenbelt Arts Center (Design for "Restroom Rescue")

Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society (Three Sisters Garden Project)

Greenbelt Cultural Arts Center dba Transitions Theatre, Inc. (Transitions Theatre "Voices" project)

Greenbelt Elementary School PTA (Arts in Action Project)

Camp Fire USA-Patuxent Area Council

Greenbelt Consumer Cooperative

Greenbelt Farmers Market, Inc. (Food education program)

Greenbelt Association for the Visual Arts (GAVA) (Youth Animation Project)

Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society (Support for 2008 GreenMan Festival)

Citizens to Conserve and Restore Indian Creek (LCD Projector for Friends of Still Creek)

Eleanor Roosevelt High School PTSA (Band trip to China)

Greenbelt Consumer Cooperative (Greenbelt Farmers Market--Marketing, start-up funds)

Greenbelt Elementary School PTA (Sixth Grade Chorus trip to Disneyworld)

Friends of the New Deal Arts Cafe (Greenbelt International Cultural Festival)

City of Greenbelt (New Deal Cafe Wifi)