$30,000 in Forfeiture Grant Program Awards handed out to local organizations
Today, at the Bradenton City Council Meeting, Chief of Police Melanie Bevan awarded ten organizations a total of more than $30,000 in funding from the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Fund Award Program - the largest donation made in the five years since the program began.
The Bradenton Police Department's 5th Annual Florida Contraband Forfeiture Grant Program is an example of our commitment to community policing and engagement. Our agency must donate at least 25% of forfeiture funds received annually to community organizations and programs engaged in projects that seek to:
▪️ Improve neighborhood safety
▪️ Promote crime prevention
▪️ Drug prevention
▪️ Drug education
▪️ Drug treatment services
▪️ School resource officer programs
The Funding Approval Committee reviewed all applications and approved the allocation of funds for the following organizations:
· Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County, to be used to provide recognition and awards to kids from Rogers Garden Elementary and Manatee Elementary Clubs who successfully complete the SMART Moves Makes SMART Kids program.
· Bradenton Gladiators Football, Inc. to support their youth football and cheer program. The Gladiators are committed to improving the lives of at-risk youth and young adults through education, mentorship, athleticism and community-based volunteering. Their programs are designed to combat self-destructive behavior and societal pitfalls.
· Bradenton Police Department Explorer Post #1004. The Explorers program is designed for young adults ages 14 to 20 who have an interest in pursuing a law enforcement career. They learn many skills to carry them through life including leadership, integrity, respect, problem-solving, crime prevention, and drug awareness/prevention in both a classroom setting and real-world scenarios. Funding will be used for upcoming competitions and training associated with these competitions; to purchase training and dress uniforms for each member; and training equipment for their new facilities.
· Drug Free Manatee, to be used to fund a campaign to educate the community on the importance of access to Narcan and available treatment options through walk-up and drive-through opioid overdose prevention toolkits distribution in high-risk, high-need neighborhoods. These tools will be available to local medical providers, shelters, food banks and other critical locations. The campaign will also reach drug-endangered children, families and those struggling with addiction by making information visible to them in a crisis situation.
· Making an Impact, which will use grant funding to provide copies of its resource guide, QR code marketing materials and signage for online access to law enforcement, low-income housing residents and those serving the homeless at no cost. Making an Impact is also producing a guide of storm-recovery resources.
· Manatee Children’s Services, Inc. will use grant funding to provide crime abuse prevention training for staff; substance use screening tools for foster care youth in their residential program; and substance abuse education materials for teens in their prevention program. The funding will support their mission to advocate for and provide the resources, skills and shelter to alleviate abuse through prevention and intervention for all children and their families.
· Manatee County Girls Club, Inc. dba Just for Girls plans to use its grant to enable girls from low income families to take part in the year-round Out-of-School Time educational enrichment program. This program offers individual attention, academic tutoring, behavior modification, and self-esteem building activities to help girls realize their full potential, break the generational cycle of poverty, and make our community safer and stronger.
· New Manatee Broncos plan to use its grant to purchase football safety equipment and cheer competition uniforms. An estimated 90% of the children who participate in the football and cheerleading program are from low-income families. New Manatee Broncos' motto is “God, Family and School” and they use team sports to keep kids off the streets.
· Pace Center for Girls provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy. Pace Center for Girls plans to use its grant for their Growth and Change program, a behavior modification program built on the Pace mission, values and guiding principles. In this program, girls promote through five stages (Opportunity, Responsibility, Dignity, Serenity, and Grace) by completing increasing tasks and obligations. Once they reach the higher stages, they begin to see future paths of success that do not include abusing drugs and alcohol or committing crime.
· Replay Outreach, Inc. plans to use its grant for the Success4Life Training/Mentoring program, designed to encourage at-risk teens to uncover their unique purpose in life, learn to manage their behavior, and gain the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace. Ongoing mentoring with interest-based activities, events, groups and clubs, help the youth commit to their goals. The end result is a roadmap to their future.
This program is a highlight of our unofficial motto, “One City, One Team,” fostering relationships and investing in the future of our community.
