Azura Employee Foundation 2022 Fall Grant Recipients

The Azura Employee Foundation (AEF) announced the second round of giving for 2022. The Azura Employee Foundation is funded by employees, with over eighty percent of Azura Credit Union employees actively donating. The foundation focuses on community supports and improving more lives by approving grant requests twice a year. The fall recipients include: Living the Dream, Valeo Behavioral Health, Ronald McDonald House, Project Topeka, and Community in Schools. The community funding granted on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 totaled $9000

Living the Dream $2,000
Living the Dream is a Topeka founded organization, who hosts one of the largest and longest running celebrations in the United States honoring the life and legacy of MLK. Living the Dream will be utilizing the grant to provide two $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors for their accomplishments and community service. 

Valeo Behavioral Health Care $2,000
Valeo Behavioral Health Care will be using the funds to purchase Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) books and workbooks to be used with individuals served. WRAP helps individuals discover simple, safe, and effective tools to create and maintain wellness. Tools include developing a daily plan to stay on track with their life and wellness goals, identifying what throws them off track, helps them develop a plan to keep moving forward, and shows them how to gain support and stay in control in a crisis.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Kansas $500
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Kansas keeps families close to their hospitalized children. Funds will be used to provide increased access to healthy food and snack options and to meet varied dietary and nutritional needs, including but not limited to gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and soft foods.

Project Topeka $2,500
Project Topeka will use their funds to purchase items to be placed in their snack packs. They donate 1,000 snack packs weekly to local schools to help children in need over the weekend. Project Topeka also supplements the needs of local food banks through canned and non-perishable food donations.

Communities in Schools of Mid-America, Inc. $2,000
Communities in Schools of Mid-America Inc will be putting their funds directly into supporting programming in five schools in Topeka: Ross Elementary School, State Street Elementary School, Highland Park High School, Topeka High School, and Topeka West High School. Student Support Coordinators (SSCs) work full-time in these schools to plan, coordinate, and implement the CIS Model of Integrated Student Supports.