Each summer, Actors' Theatre stages a production of a Shakespearian play in Schiller Park and sponsors a Young Actors Theatre Day Camp. This grant will cover the cost of registration fees, which range from $75 to $125, for neighborhood children who in the past wanted to participate but were not able to afford the expense.

Advocates for Kids is a grant-making public charity that supports organizations which provide medical and/or therapeutic services to children who have physical and/or mental challenges. The Ohio Children's Foundation was instrumental in the founding of Advocates for Kids. As such, the Foundation is committed to helping the organization be another source of financial support for Ohio's children.

To support children and their families who were victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast.

To support expansion of the successful site-based mentoring programs, increasing the number of participating "littles" by another 175 children. BBBS of Butler County primarily serves children in Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, cities that have experienced significant economic downturn over the past 30 years because many of its industries have relocated or closed.

To enable children ages 6-7 to attend a 5-day session of summer camp at Camp Oty'Okwa in 2005. Camp Oty'Okwa provides camp experiences for young children whose life circumstances include family poverty, inadequate education, and troubled homes.

To support the after-school initiative of the City of Columbus, in which at-risk children are provided with academic assistance in safe neighborhood environments.

To support the continuation and expansion of CASA's programs, which serve nearly 500 abused and neglected children each year. Because of an increasing number of cases, CASA has also designated staff attorneys on domestic violence and sexual abuse issues.

To provide mini-grants to non-profit organizations, churches and schools to defray expenses for positive discipline programs and events for parents and caregivers scheduled in observance of SpankOut Day 2006.

Established by a combination of five social service agencies in 1970, the Center for Families and Children provides comprehensive mental health services for people of all ages; child care and programs for at-risk children and parents; public policy advocacy on behalf of families and at-risk members of the community; and employee assistance programs for northeast Ohio businesses, unions and nonprofit organizations. This grant supports the Center's Building Hope Campaign, which consolidates the Center's former sites to accessible and expanded space in the heart of Midtown Cleveland.

To support the early childhood care and education initiative and a collaborative, three-year campaign designed to increase the investment in an early childhood care and education system in Ohio.

To support the endowment fund of Children's Hunger Alliance, an organization that works with 1,600 providers in 68 of Ohio's 88 counties to provide nutritious meals for more than 10,000 children every day. The organization also works strategically to eliminate hunger and the risk of hunger among Ohio's children.

To sponsor the fourth production of The Chocolate Nutcracker in November 2005, in which minority Columbus children of all ages learn dance, music, dedication, teamwork, cultural awareness, and self-esteem while preparing for this community-wide performance.

To support the creation of a wild Arctic habitat, which will support the return of a Polar Bear exhibit, in response to community and visitor interest to "bring back the Polar Bears." The zoo continues to provide enjoyable and informative experiences for thousands of Ohio's children and their families every year.

To support operations of the summer program, which provides services for children and teenagers from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. The program's objectives include reducing the use/abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by youth; decreasing the number of youth violent acts and crimes, especially related to drugs; and increasing the self-sufficiency among young people.

To provide one-year family memberships and two pre-K exploration guides to 1,000 families of entering Columbus kindergarten students as part of the Pre-K Partners' school-readiness initiative. This grant represents a three-way partnership among Bank One, COSI, and the Ohio Children's Foundation, all of whom support skill-building summer activities for children and families prior to the start of kindergarten, and is targeted to Columbus public schools with a greater than 75% free-and-reduced lunch participation rate.

To support renovation of the Short Stop Youth Center, an after-school program to help troubled children between the ages of 7 and 19 develop decision-making and problem-solving skills, explore their creative and artistic abilities, and improve their self-esteem. More than 100 youth each day participate in writing, drawing, singing, painting, acting and dance programs at the Short Stop Youth Center.

To support JUMP START, an educational program to increase school-readiness among 15 four- and five-year-old Ethiopian boys and girls whose parents have not mastered the English language. This program is an extension of the church's existing after-school program for older children, as well as its outreach to improve the quality of life for Ethiopian families and children in central Ohio through education, training, supportive services, and self-development opportunities.

To support the Appalachian Ohio Mini-Grants Program, a partnership among the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, and the Ohio Children's Foundation, to focus assistance on children and their families living in Ohio's 29 Appalachian counties.

To support the Backpacks for Kids program, which provides needy children in Hocking County with nutritious, kid-friendly foods to take home each Friday to supplement their weekend nutrition. In combination with support from America's Second Harvest, this grant will serve 75 children at Green Elementary School during the 2005-2006 school year.

To support this organization's efforts to provide relief assistance and relocation services to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Ironton/Lawrence County was one of the first communities to respond to help homeless and low-income families displaced by the hurricane and sponsored dozens of families to relocate in Ironton.

To help provide outreach, education and resources for Columbus area youth and educators on challenges and risks faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning youth.

To support the organization's mission of providing a safe, healing, empathetic and supportive environment for youth and their families. This grant will be used to purchase Board and liability insurance, and to enable the social worker to meet Ohio licensing requirements.

To defray costs of a July 2005 convention sponsored by The National Association of Young People Who Stutter (FRIENDS). The organization is dedicated to building self-confidence and self-esteem in young people who stutter by providing support, life skills, and education. A major focus is to help young people deal with the teasing and bullying they may encounter.

To continue the Network's work in sexuality education in Ohio through distribution of the newsletter, SEX, ETC.; a web site where teenagers can receive answers to their questions from qualified professionals; and collaboration with other national media, e.g., monthly column on MTV.com. In 2004, more than 120,000 copies of SEX, ETC. were distributed to young people and counselors throughout Ohio.

To support an Early Childhood Education special project that will educate funders about the status of early childhood education in Ohio and create an affinity group of funders interested in implementing universal pre-K for Ohio's children.

To sponsor a total of 10 talented and gifted students from three Columbus Public middle schools - Starling, Buckeye and Champion - to attend the OWjL Camp during the summer of 2005.

To support the educational programs of this highly successful chamber orchestra and to sponsor 400 Latino and Hispanic families to attend an open rehearsal of Paquito D'Rivera's performance at The Great Southern Theater on May 13, 2006.

To assist in the relief efforts on behalf of children who were victims of the tsunami in southern Asia.

To provide scholarships for after-school learning opportunities for 45 children at or below the poverty index to participate in rotational activities that fall outside the minimum standards defined in Ohio's early learning academic content standards; and to support 12 field trips for children attending the Children's Learning Center.

To support an after-school program for 70 African immigrant children, grades one to five. Most of these children have been in the U.S. for fewer than five years and need quality educational programs to help them compete effectively with indigenous American students. Many of their parents do not have the language skills to help children with homework, and many parents have several jobs and are not home to help their children. The after-school program will provide assistance with homework, reading skills, creative writing and athletic activities.

To support out-of-school programs and activities for Appalachian children in southern Perry County, including the Kids Summer program, the Southern Perry Youth Arts & Media Center, and technology access at Holland Community Technology Center.

To support the Ohio Early Care and Education Campaign (OECEC), a broad-based collaborative established to advance a children's agenda with state policy-makers. OECEC is committed to better outcomes for Ohio's children through greater and more appropriate investments in our youngest children, ages birth to six. OECEC organizations are focused on making early care and education a priority fixture within Ohio's 2008-2009 state budget.

To support a comprehensive training program for staff at the college's Evergeen Child Development Center and the Early Childhood Development Technology. This training in the Reggio Emilia teaching and child learning approach will positively impact the lives of 500 Appalachian children, their families, and current and future regional early childhood professionals.

To support continuation of the conservation and education programs of this wildlife preserve in Muskingum County. Recent accomplishments include the birth of a greater one-horned rhinoceros calf, one of only four surviving calves in North America this year; development of a breeding and research center for endangered mid-sized carnivores; and continued success in preserving several endangered species.

To support the costs of programming, uniforms, and tournament expenses for 240 jumpers participating in instructional and competitive programming. Children in the program learn not only athletic skills, but strategies to resist drugs and alcohol, to avoid crime and violence, and to make good decisions and give back to their respective communities. Both in- and after-school Double Dutch is provided at five Columbus elementary schools and one recreation center.

To support a new residential center to serve homeless parents and children in transition. This new, state-of-the-art Family Center provides comprehensive services in one location and offers the stable, supportive environment homeless children lack. The philosophy of the YWCA Family Center is to help families maintain their dignity while regaining their self-sufficiency.

To establish programs to work with parents to prevent abuse and neglect. These programs will use a philosophy of working from a strengths-based program and are based on a successful model developed by the executive director at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.