Grants Office (Archive)

 

Perkins 06-07

Villa Maria College received $80,864.00 in grant funding through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 for the 2006-07 academic year. The majority of funds are being used to enhance technology in the Graphic Design and Photography programs. Industry standard computers and digital animation software will help to increase and strengthen the skills of students in theses programs, and prepare them for employment or transfer after graduation. The remainder of the funding will be used for print outreach materials detailing several of the vocational and technical programs offered at the College, and web site updating.

Food Pantry

July 2006: The College received a $3,000.00 grant from New York State's Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Awareness Program (HPNAP) to cover staffing costs for the Villa Maria College Food Pantry. The Food Pantry is an example Franciscan values in action and is one of the many ways that the college community lives out the Mission. The program is unique in that in addition to collecting and processing and distributing food for clients in five zip codes, clothing, professional counseling, vocational training opportunities, housing referrals, and job hunting resources are also available through Villa Maria College.

 

OASAS

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse has awarded Villa Maria College a $900.00 mini-grant and underage drinking prevention materials in January 2007. The funds and materials will be used to increase students knowledge of the dangers and repercussions of underage drinking.

With 49% of the student body under the legal age of 21, the grant and related material will allow the Director of Health Services to initiate and maintain an information and awareness program.

 

Citizens Bank

A $5,000.00 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation awarded in November 2006, will be used to purchase technology to address different learning styles and needs in Villa Maria College's Learning Strategies Center (LSC). The Center offers services and tutoring, at no additional charge, for students who are interested in improving their academic performance. Students will use the equipment for class assignments, projects, research and to help strengthen study skills under the guidance of Dr. Arlene Sullivan, Director of the LSC and the tutorial staff.

 

AED

A December 2006 grant form the Madison McCarthy Foundation will provide an additional Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to Villa Maria College. The Foundation was established in memory of Madison McCarthy who died at the age of 5 from cardiac arrest.

The College received two units in January 2005 through the Madison McCarthy Foundation. An additional unit was requested due to the summer 2006 acquisition of the Villa Maria Student Center 7 faculty and staff members are trained in the use of the equipment. The computerized medical device delivers an electric shock through the chest was to the heart that can restore the hearts rhythm after cardiac arrest.

 

Thanks to a $2,500 grant from Josephine Goodyear Foundation, the Life Long Learning Department of Villa Maria College is providing job skills training workshops for the residents of the Gerard Place shelter in 2006-07.

Gerard Place, a 14 unit transitional shelter for homeless single mothers and children was established in November of 2000 and is sponsored by twelve congregations of religious women.

The mothers at Gerard Place range from ages 18 to 45 and children from newborn to 14 years old. Our moms are victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and other forms of violence. Many are in recovery programs and are trying to make better lives for themselves and their children states David Zapfel, Executive Director. Gerard Place strives to improve the quality of their lives through a holistic approach by nurturing mind, soul, and body. The facility is always at capacity and maintains a waiting list. The maximum time a client and her children may stay at the Gerard Place shelter is two years.
By offering a variety of life-skills training, the shelter helps residents improve their chances for success.

Villa Maria College's Life Long Learning Department has a history of offering quality employment and life skills training to the community. Computer Instructor, Joseph Larkin, President of Larkin House LLC, developed the computer training program he teaches at the shelter. The program was designed to enrich the participants knowledge and skills in Microsoft Office 2003 and support career exploration and job placement.

 

Villa Maria College Receives Cummings Foundation Grant for Physical Therapist Assistant Program��

(January 12, 2007 -- Cheektowaga, NY) Villa Maria College announced today it has received a grant from the James H. Cummings Foundation awarded in the amount of $19,500 to fund equipment for the Physical Therapist Assistant program. 

The grant covers an industry standard complete portable electrotherapy system including laser, ultrasound, electromyography and compression therapy equipment which provides valuable additional training for students, while supporting the hands on teaching and learning strategies currently being implemented in Villa's PTA program.

In addition, the Cummings grant has equipped the Villa PTA program to add aquatic therapy training into the curriculum. Students can utilize this training in the college's campus indoor swimming pool located in student center building space.

Villa's PTA program was founded in 1998 and received initial accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) in May 2000. The program ed re-accreditation for a period of 10 years in April 2006. The program currently boasts a 100% graduate placement rate.

 

Villa Maria College's Life Long Learning department in conjunction with Just for Kids will hold its second annual summer arts collaboration thanks to a $3,000.00 grant from Gibraltar Industries.

From July 6 to August 17, 2006 one instructor from Villa Maria College will visit two Just for Kids sites once a week, for approximately two hours each visit. Two art students from the college will serve as assistants to the instructor.

Over the course of two hours, the instructor will work with Just for Kids students to create individual art projects. Each week will bring a different theme; the various art projects will be geared along with that theme.

At the end of the six-week instruction period, the students at each site will hold an exhibition. Students' work will be displayed for parents and visitors to see. This will not only serve as a rewarding experience for students to see their work displayed proudly, but also give parents and visitors a chance to see how much their child has grown creatively and socially.

The need and importance of the arts in education has been well researched and is gaining increasing attention. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, art education fosters creativity in students and helps teach effective communication skills. Some students have difficulty performing in standard academic environments. Arts education helps improve the learning environment for these students, as well as all students who are exposed to it.

Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that supports arts education in school, claims arts education can help level the playing field among students who come from various socio-economic backgrounds. Students who participate in the arts are more likely to perform community service, increase academic performance, strengthen critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and develop an appreciation for the world around them.

Villa Maria College is proud to partner with Gibraltar Industries and Just for Kids to provide this worthwhile and enjoyable summer enrichment activity for children.

 

Recording Studio
Paul William Beltz, P.C. & The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation
Villa Maria College was awarded a private grant of $29,258 by Mr. Beltz to begin construction of a digital recording studio on campus. A Wendt Foundation's grant of $35,000 allowed the college to complete the studio's construction. The studio is equipped with industry-standard equipment and software for editing, as well as a sound booth for recording. The grand opening ceremony was held on Friday, August 27, 2004.

 

Digital Photography Lab Perkins 2003-4
Villa was awarded $55,829 by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998. The funding was used to establish a digital photography lab on campus featuring iMAC and G5 computers, Apple PowerBooks, a film scanner, projector, photo printer, and updated photo manipulation software.

 

Non-traditional Careers Perkins 2003-4
In addition to establishing a digital photography laboratory, Perkins funding was used to start a non-traditional career and employment web page. The page features information on careers in which less than 25% of the workforce is male or female.

 

Information Literacy
The Vincent and Harriet Palisano Foundation
The college was awarded $25,000 by the Palisano Foundation to expand its Information Literacy Program. New computer workstations and accessories were installed in the library at which students can learn how to gather information from text, periodicals, and online databases and how to properly include and cite that information in their written works.

 

Graphic Design Laboratory
Perkins 2004-5
Villa was awarded $53,541.00 by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998. The funding was used to install industry standard hardware and software in the graphic design laboratory featuring Apple G5 computers, Apple PowerBooks, a projector, printer, and updated software.

 

Music Business Program
Perkins 2004-5
In addition to upgrading the graphic design laboratory, Perkins funding was used to purchase industry-standard electronic sound equipment for the Music Business Program. Students are now able to use the following new equipment: a mixer, speakers, microphones, amplifiers, and CD-players.

 

Life Long Learning Computer Center
Verizon Foundation
Villa Maria College was awarded a $25,000 Workforce Development Grant from the Verizon Foundation. The funding was used to establish a state-of-the-art computer center featuring Dell Latitude laptops with docking stations, printers, and productivity software. This will be used to enhance the Life Long Learning Center's medical billing and coding certification programs, as well as other workforce development programs the center offers.



Recent Grants Awarded:

Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 Grant
$71,638.00
Villa will use this recent award to establish a state-of-the-art laboratory for its Interior Design Program featuring computers, a printer, drafting workstations, and design software. Funding will also be used to host three workshops through the Life Long Learning Center: Resume Writing, Job Search, and Microsoft Office Certificate Program.

 

Senator William Stachowski, Special Legislative Project $10,000
With the help of Senator William Stachowski, Villa was awarded a grant to purchase equipment to finish the digital photography laboratory. Items such as digital cameras and workstations will be added to give the lab a professional atmosphere.

 

Assemblyman Paul Tokasz, Special Legislative Project $10,000
Villa was awarded a grant from Assemblyman Paul Tokasz to install handicap accessible doors in the library building. Funding was also used to create a handicap accessible pathway between the library building and main college building outside.

 

James H. Cummings Foundation $25,000
With the generous grant from the Cummings Foundation in May 2003, the Physical Therapist Assistant Program was able to purchase two Smart Carts that are now used in classrooms for both professors and students.