SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER

The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham recently announced $370,000 in grants to 11 nonprofit organizations serving Shelby County. This brings the 2006 total to $563,500 for grants in Shelby County from the foundation.

&8220;The Bright Beginnings Early Interventions program is a great example, because that offers opportunities to assist preschoolers in preparing for success in school,&8221; said Patti Whitt, senior program officer for The Community Foundation. &8220;Our grant for $30,000 will allow this program to expand in Vincent, Harpersville and Vandiver.&8221;

Other grants from The Community Foundation serving Shelby County include:

-Abiding Hope Ministries: The $10,000 grant will provide more services to residents of eastern Shelby County, including food distribution and emergency needs.

-Alabama 4-H Club Foundation: The $25,000 grant will go to support the capital campaign for the LEED Environmental Science Education Center.

-Arc of Shelby County: $13,000 will support the Family Focus Project in assisting families with developmentally disabled children.

-Cahaba Valley Health Care: $10,000 to support a fundraising assistant position.

-National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation: A $13,000 grant will support Camp Invention summer programs for children in Shelby and Jefferson counties entering grades 1-6.

-Alabama Child Caring Foundation: The $7,000 grant provides health insurance to underserved children.

-Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation: The $30,000 grant will support a pilot project to revise constitutional reform educational materials for use at community events and on college campuses.

-Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham: The gift of $60,000 over two years will support the continuation of programs in the cultural sector.

-Leading Edge Initiative: $7,000 will go to support a part-time development assistant.

-Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama: A grant totaling $165,000 over three years will support programs and services for nonprofit organizations.