In the area of education, Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX) has received a $250,000 investment to implement the ROX Program for Girls in schools. The program is an evidence-based, 20-week Social Emotional Learning curriculum that helps female students achieve success. More than 1,500 students will be impacted through this program.
“Our research tells us that girls’ lives are becoming increasingly more complicated. Evidence-based support and strategic partnerships, like the collaboration between ROX and the Blue Jackets Foundation, will directly impact and empower thousands of girls in schools right here in central Ohio. Additionally, our work will educate parents, teachers, coaches, mentors and role models who will collectively make the world safer and more equitable for girls,” said ROX Founder and CEO Lisa Hinkelman.
The Foundation announced continued support for the Columbus Metropolitan Library with a $50,000 grant to fund a virtual homework assistance program and a $28,000 grant to Junior Achievement of Central Ohio for the Blue Jackets Storefront at JA BizTown.
LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence also received funding in the education pillar in the amount of $10,000 to provide children in their program with a collection of books. The funding, made in partnership with College Advantage, provides LSS CHOICES with the ability to serve more than 400 children.
Other grant partners in education include Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio, Columbus Early Learning Centers, Community Shelter Board and United Schools Network.
In the area of health and safety, first-time recipient Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland has been granted $92,000 to fund the construction of a low ropes course for girls at the immersive STEM campus at Camp Ken-Jockety. The grant funding was made possible in partnership with Columbia Gas and the NiSource Charitable Foundation. The Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland serves more than 14,000 girls in central Ohio providing leadership skills and empowerment to make a difference in the world.
Additionally, the YMCA of Central Ohio will receive a $150,000 grant to bring a Blue Jackets-themed playground to the Ward location, making it a gathering place for the community's children.
Recreation Unlimited, a children’s camp based in Delaware, OH, is a new recipient this year with a grant of $123,000 for the renovation of their outdoor Blue Jackets-themed sports court.
Also receiving funding in health and safety are Girls on the Run of Central Ohio.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Central Ohio is one of three grant recipients in the pediatric cancer pillar alongside A Kid Again - Central Ohio Chapter and Flying Horse Farms. A long-time partner of the Blue Jackets Foundation, RMCH will use the funding to refresh Blue Jackets-themed spaces available for pediatric cancer patients and their families who stay at the house while receiving treatment.
Furthering the commitment to grow youth and amateur hockey and remove barriers to playing the game, the Foundation awarded 17 grants to organizations and hockey associations that include traditional programs, sled hockey, girls’ hockey, and special hockey for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Foundation announced an investment in building safe play places for youth in Columbus with a $100,000 grant to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department to refurbish an outdoor street hockey rink at Krumm Park.
Also new this year, Level the Playing Field will receive $25,000 in grant funding to develop a bin program for equipment collection in central Ohio sports parks with hockey equipment going to local organizations. Additionally, a $25,000 grant to the Central Ohio Youth Sports Collaborative to ensure that every boy and girl gets the chance to play hockey, both on and off the ice.
Additional grant partners in the youth hockey pillar include 614 Ice Refs, After-School All-Stars Ohio, Athens Youth Hockey Association, Capital Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), CCYHA Columbus Blue Jackets Special Hockey, CCYHA Girls Hockey, Central Ohio Girls' Hockey (COGH), Columbus Chill Youth Hockey Association (CCYHA), Columbus Ice Hockey Club, EYHA Mavericks, Newark Ice Hockey Association, Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, Ohio Sled Hockey, Simon Kenton Council Boy Scouts of America
