The Green Bay Packers Foundation has awarded $255,145 to 79 civic and charitable groups throughout the state of Wisconsin in its annual distribution of grants, Charlie Lieb, chairman of the Foundation committee, announced Tuesday.
The groups were guests at a luncheon Tuesday at the Lambeau Field Atrium, an event that welcomed all the recipients and honored the outstanding efforts and services performed by each of the organizations.
Including today's grants, the Foundation has distributed more than $2.5 million for charitable purposes since it was established in 1986 by Judge Robert J. Parins, then president of the Packers Corporation, "as a vehicle to assure continued contributions to charity."
Of the Foundation's contributions, 30 grants – aggregating $118,325 – were awarded to Brown County organizations.
Additional grants, totaling $136,820, were made to 49 other groups around the state.
Lieb made the grant announcements during a press conference at the Lambeau Field Atrium prior to the luncheon.
Additionally, under the Packers Scholarship Program, established in 2002, $15,000 was awarded – $7,500 to Scholarships Inc., for distribution to students in four-year colleges, and $7,500 to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) for distribution to students in two-year associate degree or apprenticeship trades programs. A portion of the scholarship funds come from National Football League Properties which, at the Packers' request, returns to the Foundation royalty fees paid for using the Packers logo on Wisconsin automobile license plates. Because the royalties do not fully cover the scholarships, the Green Bay Packers fund the remainder of the amount, a figure which totals $66,000 since 2006.
In the past year, the Packers Foundation also has distributed an additional $57,375 on behalf of National Football League Charities – $20,000 in "Community Quarterback" awards to civic leaders for contributions to the community, $12,375 in the NFL's "Coach of the Week" program which honors successful Wisconsin high school coaches on a weekly basis throughout the season, $20,000 through the "Hometown Huddle/Youth Fitness Zone" program, and $5,000 to the "Play 60 Challenge" to encourage healthy lifestyles amongst our youth.
"The efforts that these groups put forth in order to better their communities are tremendous," Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said at the event. "We gladly honor them today and congratulate them on their accomplishments."
The Green Bay Packers Foundation Trustees includes, in addition to Mr. Lieb, Tom Arndt, Rick Chernick, Terry Fulwiler, Johnnie Gray, George Hartmann, Mark McMullen, Tom Olson, Diane Roundy and Mark Skogen. Margaret Meyers is the secretary of the Foundation.
The grants and other programs highlighted Tuesday are two components of the Packers' efforts in the community. Also, the Packers' community outreach department responded to more than 11,000 requests from organizations and individuals in 2011 with donated autographed items for fund-raising efforts that raised more than $3.2 million. Additionally, non-profit groups raised more than $1 million by operating Lambeau Field concession stands during the 2011 season. These efforts, combined with direct cash donations by the Green Bay Packers to various charity endeavors, resulted in a comprehensive Packers charity impact of approximately $6 million in the past year.
A complete list of grant recipients:
Brown County Recipients:
1. American Red Cross - Lakeland Chapter
2. ASPIRO, Inc.
3. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin
4. Brown County Library
5. Calvary Lutheran Church
6. Center for Childhood Safety
7. Clarity Care Inc
8. Disabled American Veterans
9. Ecumenical Partnership For Housing Inc
10. Encompass Early Education and Care, Inc.
11. Family and Childcare Resources of N.E.W., Inc.
12. Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc.
13. First Book - Greater Green Bay
14. Greater Green Bay YMCA
15. Green Bay Symphony and the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra
16. Integrated Community Solutions
17. Jackie Nitschke Center, Inc.
18. Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. - Brown County District Office
19. Literacy Green Bay
20. Mayflower Nursery School
21. My Brother's Keeper, Inc.
22. NeighborWorks Green Bay
23. New Community Shelter, Inc.
24. Northeast Wisconsin Christian Homeschool Athletic Association
25. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
26. Notre Dame de la Baie Academy
27. Sullivan-Wallen Post #11 The American Legion
28. Urban Hope Corporation
29. Volunteer Center of Brown County
30. YWCA of Green Bay - De Pere
Statewide Recipients:
1. Admission Possible of Greater Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
2. Arc - Winnebago County Disability Association, Inc. (Winnebago)
3. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dodge County & Watertown Community (Jefferson)
4. Boys & Girls Club of Dane County (Dane)
5. Boys & Girls Club of Fond du Lac (Fond du Lac)
6. Boys' and Girls' Brigade (Winnebago)
7. Catherine Marian Housing, Inc. (Racine)
8. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse (La Crosse)
9. Chippewa Valley Council - Boy Scouts of America (Eau Claire)
10. Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. (Winnebago)
11. Community Clothes Closet (Winnebago)
12. COTS, Inc. (Outagamie)
13. Dominican Center for Women (Milwaukee)
14. Door County Memorial Hospital Foundation (Door County)
15. Dream Flight USA Foundation (Marathon)
16. Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley (Outagamie)
17. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
18. Hope House of Manitowoc County (Manitowoc)
19. Hunger Task Force of La Crosse (La Crosse)
20. KFAD (Rock)
21. Literacy Services of Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
22. Little Sprouts Discovery Center Non-Profit Inc. (Waushara)
23. Marshfield Area Community Foundation (Wood)
24. Milwaukee Achiever Literacy Services, Inc. (Milwaukee)
25. Milwaukee Rescue Mission (Milwaukee)
26. Moms and Dads Against Meth, Inc . (Polk)
27. Mount Tabor Center, Inc. (Winnebago)
28. My Home, Your Home Inc. (Milwaukee)
29. National Multiple Sclerosis Society Wisconsin Chapter (Waukesha)
30. Navarino Nature Center (Shawano)
31. Neighbor for Neighbor, Inc. (Monroe)
32. Northwoods Women, Inc. (County of Ashland)
33. Our Next Generation Inc. (Milwaukee)
34. Phillips Area Youth Football (Price)
35. Project Concern of Cudahy-St. Francis (Milwaukee)
36. Rawhide, Inc. (Waupaca)
37. Risen Savior Ev. Lutheran Church & School (Milwaukee)
38. Riverfront Inc. (La Crosse)
39. Shalom Center of the Interfaith Network (Kenosha)
40. The River Food Pantry (Dane)
41. Tri-County Community Dental Clinic (Outagamie)
42. United Community Center( Milwaukee)
43. Upland Hills Health, Inc. (Iowa)
44. Watertown Family Center (Jefferson)
45. Wheaton Franciscan - St. Joseph Foundation (Milwaukee)
46. Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety (Waukesha)
47. Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre, Inc. (Wood)
48. Youth Go (Winnebago)
49. YWCA of Wausau (Marathon)
