Community initiatives includes an early childhood literacy program, an internship program for college students, a grantwriting internship program, a mental health services program, a memorial garden project for the victims of a school shooting, and a holiday assistance program for low-income families who have children with special needs. The foundation accomplished the following: provided an AGE-appropriate book each month to approximately 2,500 children who reside in our service AREA (birth to AGE 5); connected four college-AGED students to local businesses for summer internships; provided on-the-job learning experiences with weekly check-INS; connected four individuals to local governmental agencies for grantwriting internships to explore grant opportunities from other foundations and state/federal agencies; provided mental health services to approximately 20 low-income and uninsured/under-insured individuals who live in our service AREA; provided financial management and oversight of a memorial garden project in memory of four local teenagers that lost their lives in a school shooting; and provided gifts and much-needed clothing, coats/gloves, and special equipment to low-income families who have children with special needs.