White’s Residential & Family Services has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the NBA All-Star 2021 Legacy Project to help advance its workforce development program, Growing Teens for Life. White’s will utilize the grant money to purchase 70 aeroponic towers to help it establish a system to grow fresh produce year-round. This grant also will enable White’s to provide additional student work internships and STEM educational learning opportunities.
“The All-Star Legacy grant will help White’s to expand our vocational program and ensure that every teen we serve has the opportunity to grow through vocational training,” said Ron Evans, president and CEO of White’s. “Every year, students leave our residential therapeutic programs and begin life on their own, potentially with little to no support. They enter adulthood needing foundational work skills that prepare them for their futures.”
In October, with the support of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, the NBA All-Star 2021 Host Committee launched a million-dollar legacy initiative focused on youth-serving nonprofit organizations across Indiana as part of the NBA All-Star 2021 celebration. The Legacy Project provides grants up to $50,000 for 21 brick-and-mortar capital improvement projects that focus on education or health and wellness. Each Legacy Project will then help to identify a high school-age Rising Star in their community, and the 21 Rising Stars will serve as honorary chairs of their local projects and recruit other youth to serve. A scholarship program has been set up for the Rising Stars as well.
The All-Star Legacy grant comes at a great time for White’s as it continues to expand and strengthen its family-centered programs and services statewide. “Over 170 years ago, our founder, Josiah White, believed that faith, education and work experience were foundational to leading a successful life. We find our mission to provide emotional healing, personal development and spiritual growth to children and families in need is as vital as ever,” Evans said.
