For those that missed yesterday’s announcement via al.com , Kresge Arts in Birmingham announced their first ever list of grantees via press release yesterday. The program, introduced to Birmingham, AL  just earlier this year, is one of five operating with the support of The Kresge Foundation.

The list that follows is of the nine organizations and their proposed projects taken from the official press release. The Cultural Alliance’s website has additional information about the program.

Alabama Community AIDS Fund/AIDS Alabama – $5,100 to support “Giving Voice at Gateway,” a three month creative writing program for 15 adolescent girls in the custody of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

Birmingham Children’s Theatre – $10,000 to support the “What’s the 411? Theatre for Social Change” project developed in response to area middle school students’ identification of the key issue currently affecting their lives as anxiety about becoming homeless or displaced.

Birmingham Urban League – $7,028 to add a new component to their GED preparation and job readiness program to cultivate specific communication and interpersonal skills needed to successfully get and keep a job.

Desert Island Supply Company – $10,000 to support the use of storytelling to reach across boundaries of race, age, socio-economics and origin to unify and revitalize the Woodlawn community.

Episcopal Place – $10,000 to start the “Seasoned Arts” program to combat negative stereotypes about aging and help seniors remain healthy and independent through mental and physical activity.

Gateway – $7,325 to support Children’s Dance Foundation in providing three months of twice weekly classes of dance, movement, drama and drumming to 30 adolescent youth living on the Gateway campus who are at high risk for homelessness, unemployment and criminal behavior because of abuse or neglect and mental illness.

Media For Health – $10,000 to support development, production and airing of a dramatic serial radio novella that will address issues of healthy lifestyles and chronic disease in Birmingham’s Mexican immigrant community.

Project Hopewell – $10,000 to expand activities associated with the Chocolate Nutcracker production in order to combat childhood obesity. Health professionals will collect pre- and post-production data from approximately 150 youth participants many from the Hillman neighborhood.

VSA arts of Alabama – $10,000 to support the “Take a Walk in My Shoes” art project which provides an intergenerational visual conversation about the journey of life.