Countywide : United Way to Give $450,000 to Agencies

The United Way of Orange County has selected 34 local health and human care agencies to share in more than $450,000 worth of grants generated by the organization’s “Donor Choice” program, which allows donors to direct their money toward specific community issues.

The recipient agencies were selected by a panel of 75 volunteers familiar with area charities and community programs, United Way officials said. The panel also allocated the amoney.

The options listed on donor cards were elder care, health care, child care, mental and emotional care, alcohol and drug abuse programs, hunger and homeless services and physical or sexual abuse programs. The breakdown of the grant recipients by those service categories:

* Elder care grants went to the Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County’s home visitation program ($12,100), the Garden Grove Community Adult Day Care respite program ($12,960), the Rehabilitation Institute of Orange County ($9,000) and the Orange CareGiver Resource senior link program ($11,546).

* Health care grants were awarded to the American Diabetes Assn. for outreach to Latino communities ($7,000), the Laguna Beach Community Clinic for pregnancy care ($5,700) and the Huntington Beach Community Clinic for indigent care ($9,800).

* Child care grants were given to Women’s Transitional Living Center for abused-child care ($20,292), the Girl’s Club of Garden Grove ($9,840), Advanced Resources for Foster Kids for foster family assistance ($4,050), Providence Speech and Hearing for day care for developmentally challenged children ($5,414), the Blind Children’s Learning Center ($18,000), the Fountain Valley Boys and Girls Club ($27,855) and the Tustin Boys and Girls Club ($5,000).

* Mental and emotional assistance programs that received grants were the AIDS Service Foundation ($5,756), the Laguna Beach-based Community Service Program Youth Shelter for crisis intervention ($5,756), the Santa Ana-based STOP-GAP to use drama-enhanced therapy for children with life-threatening diseases ($5,756), and the Cypress-based Straight Talk program for children with disruptive behavior ($5,000).

* Alcohol and drug-related programs awarded grants were STOP-GAP ($10,005), the Los Alamitos Youth Center for summer youth nights ($5,900), the Anaheim-based Hope House for residential programs ($9,400) and the Mental Health Assn. for recreational alternatives program ($7,500).

* Grants were given to seven organizations that provide food or shelter to the needy. Those groups were the YWCA’s Project Hope School ($29,300), Travelers’ Aid Society ($20,230), Meals on Wheels ($13,086), the Salvation Army Orange County ($10,000), the Laguna Hills-based Episcopal Service Alliance ($50,000), the Orange County Homeless Task Force ($13,000) and the Casa Youth Shelter in Los Alamitos ($25,000).

* For agencies dealing with physical and sexual abuse, grants were awarded to Advanced Resources for Foster Kids ($6,000), the Center for Creative Alternatives in Huntington Beach for counseling efforts ($14,350), Laguna Beach-based Human Options for educating the Latino community ($9,000), the Vietnamese Community of Orange County for education ($15,000), Orange County Deaf for parenting classes ($12,000), Court Appointed Special Advocates for child legal assistance ($10,000) and the Interval House, a shelter for battered women ($12,988).