A nice chunk of change was given Tuesday night to GraceWorks, a small local nonprofit that runs an afterschool program for needy kids. GraceWorks earned the blessing of a committee of 10 high school students put together by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation; for 14 years, CACF has assembled the committee and given it the task of awarding a grant to a local nonprofit that serves youth.
This year, GraceWorks snagged $10,000 toward its mission of busing 20 disadvantaged Albemarle County school kids to a local farm after school four days a week; there they soak in a bucolic atmosphere, work on their homework, do fine arts and environmental activities, and eat a healthy dinner. Julie Baker, a Western Albemarle High School English teacher, and a number of volunteers keep the program going. Now they have a little more cash to support their efforts, and the committee of high school students has the enviable experience of being photographed handing out one of those comically oversize checks.
Free news is good news!
Nearly $1 million a year goes into the work you’re reading—covering local government, spotlighting the arts, and telling the stories no one else does. If you value that, help fund it for $10 a month (or whatever tax-deductible gift you can afford). Save the free word.
