Page 28 - April JSF Report

GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES (DRAFT) (4)
9.
be a grant. There was also agreement that supporting CEP in general is a good way to support national philanthropy. A motion was made to approve a grant to CEP for $50,000 over 5 years and to approve a sponsorship grant of up to $20,000 for the CEP national conference pending further conversations with CEP.
The Committee approved a grant to CEP for $50,000 over 5 years. The Committee further approved to support the 2023 CEP national conference with funding of up to $20,000. The conference support may include a combination of direct funding and/or the purchase of copies of Malcolm’s book that are donated to CEP.
Disability programing
a. A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Bobby introduced Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, CEO of A.G. Bell; Erin Klokker, Program Director of A.G. Bell’s Young Leaders Board; and Isabella Gomez, a graduate of the Leadership Opportunities for Teens (LOFT) program and a current Florida International University student. An applicaton requesting $200,000 over 2 years for the Youth to Young Leaders Pipeline had been circulated. A JSF matching grant of $125,000 over 2 years for the LOFT program concluded in 2022.
Emilio explained that while Alexander Graham Bell was best known for inventing the telephone, he was an elocutionist who had a passion for speech. He dedicated his fortune to helping the deaf and hard of hearing and constructed a building in Georgetown that now houses the A.G. Bell Association. He was also one of the first Presidents of Clarke Schools. Today, A.G. Bell works to inform and support families; train professionals; serve as public policy leaders to address the needs of people with hearing loss; and empower communities to help people with hearing loss succeed.
The goal of the Youth to Young Leaders Pipeline is to build the continuum of support that will assist young people as they move into independent lives and provide a way for them to help their peers. The pipeline starts with the Learning Experience and Adventure Program (LEAP), which offers the middle schoolers a chance to connect with other students who are deaf or hard of hearing and use Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) to communicate virtually. This virtual experience came about as a result of the pandemic. When they reach high school, students can attend Leadership Opportunities for Teens (LOFT), a 5-day in-person program that teaches such skills as self-advocacy, self-confidence, leadership and communication. The newly formed Young Leaders Board (YLB) will allow LOFT graduates to take on leadership roles and develop additional skills.
Erin and Isabella are both 2018 graduates of LOFT. Isabella was hard of hearing when she was born, and she later became fully deaf. She said LOFT gave her the support to step out of her comfort zone. Today she is majoring in psychology and criminal justice at FIU, and she has become a mentor for other deaf students.
A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Erin spoke about how the program helped her gain advocacy skills and confidence. She said there is a lack of access to resources for deaf students in Texas, a state with a large bilingual deaf population. She is now impacting other LOFT students and graduates in her role as Program Coordinator for the Young Leaders Board. She is a graduate of the University of North Texas.
Both students were asked if they were involved in the Disability Resource Centers at their respective universities. Erin did not receive support from her DRC, and instead received support from her professors and the captioning services team at her school. Isabella said the services at FIU are there, but students have to seek them. She was grateful that LOFT taught her how to advocate for herself. Emilio was asked about the matching terms proposed in the application. He said that A.G. Bell proposes to raise $100,000 as a match to JSF’s $200,000. Emilio, Erin and Isabella were thanked and left the meeting.
Malcolm asked whether King or Bill were associated with A.G. Bell, and they said they were not. There was a question about why the request was for only 2 years. According to the application, A.G. Bell had already raised enough money to launch the Young Leaders Board but needed additional funds to develop the Pipeline. King has been a speaker at LOFT and said he can attest to the program’s effectiveness in teaching students self- advocacy skills. During Bobby, Sherry and King’s recent site visit to A.G. Bell, Emilio admitted he hadn’t done much outreach to Native communities. Sherry followed up by sending him some information. After discussion, a motion was made to approve the application as presented.
The Committee approved as presented an application from A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard
Page 26 April Report