Torah Academy was recently awarded two new grants!
At Torah Academy (TA), we see a wide-open field of possibilities when it comes to locating funding sources for our school. Fortunately, resourcefulness and creativity are always in the air at TA! Winning these grants is a clear sign that TA’s value is evident to other community organizations.
$100,000 – SECURITY UPGRADES
At Torah Academy, we work continuously to ensure that our buildings are secure places for all who learn and work there. In 2015, with anti-Semitic attacks on the rise, we made our best effort to obtain a government security grant, but were unfortunately denied. Through a matching grant by the Rosmarin family, we were able to raise $36,000 toward the most essentialsecurity enhancements. It was a good start, but much more was needed.
We recently applied for and won a Federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security for $100,000 – the maximum possible amount! It was part of $1.6 million in federal grant funds distributed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and awarded to faith-based organizations to strengthen public safety.
Winning this grant was truly a group effort, utilizing many connections. We worked with the Brookline Police Department to perform a security assessment of our Williston Road building, which was a crucial step in demonstrating our need for the grant. The Police Department recommended further upgrades of video monitoring, keycard access, replacement windows and doors, and fencing.
Officer Peter Muise, who completed the assessment, commented, “Over the last several years, we have seen religious organizations targeted with hate and violence, and we are pleased that the state is supporting faith-based organizations in increasing and upgrading their security so that we can prevent these atrocities from happening here in our community.”
Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Community Security Initiative (CSI) also assisted us greatly in writing the grant and assessing how the $100,000 could be best used. The CSI team, led by Jeremy Yamin (CJP’s Associate Vice President, Director of Security and Operations) and Dan Levenson (CJP’s Deputy Director for Communal Security), provide free assessments, consultations, and guidance to the community and work closely with law enforcement partners.
Mr. Yamin explains that the CSI team’s work is not just about “locks, alarms, cameras, or the ‘stuff’ of security, but to see security as part of a support system so people can feel safe to gather and learn together.” His team met with TA multiple times over the years for security consultations and assessments. He commends TA for its perseverance and hard work in the area of security.
When you truly believe in something, you will stop at nothing to give it your very best. We at Torah Academy believe so strongly in the mission of our school that we leave no connection or resource unturned when it comes to funding. We are so thankful to all who were involved in the process of obtaining these two important grant awards.
$25,000 – MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMMING
A $25,000 grant for mental health programming was awarded to us from Charlesview, an organization dedicated to the well-being of individuals and families in the Allston-Brighton area. We teamed up with Brookline Mental Health to pursue the grant; they assisted with the grant writing process and will subsequently help us build and implement the program. This grant will build on our progress in the area of social development of our students. Mrs. Dina Feldman, Director of Support Services, and Mrs. Devorah Moskovitz, Girls’ Educational Coordinator, will work closely with TA social worker Elise Jacobson and the rest of the TA team to create a resiliency program for middle-school girls. Not only is the grant a tremendous resource; it will also bring Ms. Jacobson more closely into the lives of our students, teachers, and parents.
Jo-Ann Barbour, the Executive Director of Charlesview, Inc., applauds the collaboration between TA and Brookline Health as “the beginning of a partnership that normalizes mental health issues and provides the opportunity for [both organizations] to continue working with families and expand services.”
The program, set to begin later in the school year, focuses on growth mindset and mindfulness techniques to provide children with tools to deal with feelings of anxiety and depression. It will consist of experiential workshops and classroom teaching in grades 6th-8th, as well as corresponding teacher and parent workshops to align everyone’s learning.
Mrs. Chana Wallach, Co-Director of Student Support and Learning Specialist, looks forward to seeing the whole TA community involved in this work: “The goal is to work together with our parents and teachers. Incorporating our parents and teachers as a team in this learning process is a wonderful way of reaching the entire child and successfully imbuing the vital life skill of resiliency with strength and support.” ■