JUNIOR LEAGUE OF THE PALM BEACHES ANNOUNCES TWO NONPROFIT WINNERS OF COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE GRANT

Path to College and Vita Nova each receive $2,500 towards their community initiatives

(West Palm Beach, Fla.) – The Junior League of the Palm Beaches and its Community Advisory Council announced its two nonprofit winners of the $5,000 Community Assistance Grant. The purpose of this grant is to identify and aid nonprofit agencies in Palm Beach County whose proposed funding would go toward one of the components of JLPB’s mission.

Every April, the JLPB Community Advisory Council votes to determine the recipients of these grants. This year, JLPB distributed $5,000 between the two winning organizations: Vita Nova and Path to College.

“The Junior League of the Palm Beaches has a rich history of identifying unmet needs in Palm Beach County, developing programs with impactful outcomes and forming community partnerships to achieve those goals,” said Julie Rudolph, President of Junior League of the Palm Beaches. “We are honored to announce Vita Nova and Path to College as this year’s winners of our Community Assistance Grant and we’re looking forward to the great success of these programs.”

Vita Nova, located in West Palm Beach, provides a safe bridge to independence for former foster care, LGBTQ and other homeless youth through supportive housing, education, employment and life skills training. As the voice of homeless young adults, Vita Nova is working to eliminate homelessness for youth ages 18-25 years old in Palm Beach County. Funds will be used to support Vita Nova’s efforts to help provide housing, food, transportation and more for local homeless youth. 

“What we do at Vita Nova, is pick up where foster care leaves off,” said Jeff DeMario, CEO of Vita Nova. “Support from the community, whether it’s volunteering your time or through monetary support such as this grant from the Junior League of the Palm Beaches, makes a difference in the lives of our youth struggling with homelessness, hunger, education and self-sufficiency.”

Based in West Palm Beach, Path to College is an organization of professionals and active community members committed to making our communities better through the advancement of higher education. They invest in the next generation of leaders throughout Palm Beach County by helping them trudge the path to college while acquiring as many skills, learning experiences and chances to give back as possible. Funds will be used to support the EdTalk Public Speaking Program, where students will prepare a public speech to learn persuasive public speaking skills, educate the listener about a community issue and develop confidence.

“We have seen many young adults become saddled with student loan debt in the midst of a struggling economy,” said Christine Sylvain, Executive Director of Path to College. “As teachers, we have seen young students who, while being smart and motivated, do not believe higher education is in their future because of their family’s economic resources. We want to help the next generation of high school students avoid the pitfalls of predatory lending, and degree programs that aren’t worth their salt and thanks to the $2,500 grant from the members of the JLPB, we are able to accomplish our goals.”

Now in its 80th year, the Junior League of the Palm Beaches is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The 700 volunteers dedicate more than 3,000 hours every year to training Junior League of the Palm Beaches members and supporting more than 20 community nonprofit partners.

For more information on the Junior League of the Palm Beaches, to become a member or to donate, please visit jlpb.org or call 561.689.7590.