The Asheville Downtown Association (ADA) today announced the recipients of its 2013 Downtown After 5 wristband grants. Chosen organizations sell wristbands at one of the five concerts and receive a grant of up to $2,000. 2013 marks the 25th Anniversary season of Downtown After 5, presented by Harmony Motors. A full lineup will be announced on Tuesday, April 30.
Selected nonprofits are Asheville GreenWorks (May 17), Youth OUTright (June 21), Homeward Bound (July 19), WildSouth (August 16) and Our VOICE (September 20).
Asheville GreenWorks is a longtime recipient of the Downtown After 5 wristband grants and uses the funds to remove litter and graffiti as well as plant trees in downtown areas.
With a mission to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth to be confident and vital members of our community, Youth OUTright provides resources to youth in 18 counties across Western North Carolina.
“The money raised at Downtown After 5 will support our youth programming. We’ll be able to have more meetings, more activities and more opportunities for our youth to gather in their community,” said Jim Faucett, Youth OUTright’s executive director.
Homeward Bound works to end chronic homelessness in the Asheville area. The organization recently celebrated placing its 500th person into permanent housing with 89 percent of those placed remaining in stable housing.
WildSouth inspires people to enjoy, value and protect the wild character and natural legacy of the South through advocacy and conservation education. To date, WildSouth has helped preserve more than half a million acres across the region.
A crisis intervention and prevention agency, Our VOICE serves victims of sexual violence, age 13 through adult, in Buncombe County and also offers educational training on topics like sexual harassment in the workplace
“Our VOICE is excited to part of the 2013 Downtown After 5 series. We have been providing 24/7 crisis response and counseling to victims of sexual assault in Asheville for nearly 40 years and know this will be a great opportunity to continue spreading the word about our services to those who may need them,” noted Robin Payne, development director.
The Asheville Downtown Association has awarded more than $65,000 in wristband grant funds to local charitable organizations since the grant program’s start in 2006. Previous recipients include: ABYSA, Arts 2 People, Asheville on Bikes, Asheville Grown, Blue Ridge Pride, Downtown Asheville Residential Neighbors (DARN), Katy’s Kids/MANNA FoodBank, LEAF in Schools and Streets, Moog Foundation, YMCA of Western North Carolina, YMI Cultural Center and YWCA of Asheville.
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2013, Downtown After 5 is a production of the Asheville Downtown Association, a nonprofit organization committed to the preservation and improvement of the central business district. A full entertainment lineup will be announced at the April 30 Kickoff Celebration. Volunteer opportunities are still available. More information at www.ashevilledowntown.org/volunteer.
More information about Downtown After 5 and the Asheville Downtown Association can be found online at www.ashevilledowntown.org or by following through social media including Facebook (www.facebook.com/AshevilleDowntownAssociation)) and Twitter (@AVLDowntown).
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