All Friends Network Awarded Second Installment of $20,000 Grant from Golisano Foundation

All Friends Network Awarded Second Installment of $20,000 Grant from Golisano Foundation to Enhance In-Person Social Events Program

Sarasota, Florida July 29th, 2024 –All Friends Network received a grant of $20,000 from the Golisano Foundation to enhance our In-Person Social Events Program, designed to promote friendship while enhancing quality of life for individuals with disabilities, in August 2023. The grant was to be distributed in two installments, issuing $10,000 between two years, after reviewing the use of funds within the program. We are pleased and honored to announce, All Friends Network has been awarded the second installment of the $20,000 grant awarded to our organization by the Golisano Foundation. The Golisano Foundation is one of the nation’s largest foundations dedicated to supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. We are honored to be recognized and supported by such a prestigious foundation dedicated to making the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

We are incredibly grateful to the Golisano Foundation for the very generous grant awarded to All Friends Network, which has allowed our organization to enhance and expand our In-Person Social Events Program. Our primary goal was to enhance our In-Person Social Events Program to allow for a larger, improved program for individuals with disabilities, while increasing our membership and providing further outreach in the community, allowing the opportunity for more individuals to benefit from our program. Throughout the year, this grant provided the necessary funds to allow our organization to host our In-Person Social Events Program, which resulted in an increase in membership to our organization and an increase in participation.  Not only were we able to achieve our goals of increased membership and participation to our programs, we also were able to establish collaborative relationships with other organizations. This grant allowed our organization to provide further outreach and networking with other organizations dedicated to promoting similar goals and missions to ours, which resulted in impactful, collaborative relationships. These collaborations have impacted our organization by increasing our membership and participation rate to our programs. Our goals moving forward throughout the year 2024-2025 is to continue to expand and improve our In-Person Social Events Program, continue to establish and develop collaborative relationships with organizations dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities, and provide further outreach to the neurodiverse community, creating the opportunity for all individuals with disabilities to benefit from the joy of friendship.

“I am pleased to inform you that the Trustees of the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, at their quarterly meeting on July 24, 2024, approved the release of the second and final grant payment of $10,000 to All Friends Network. The grant is intended to support All Friends Network’s in-person and virtual member programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We commend your on-going commitment to providing over 300 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with opportunities to socialize, connect, and thrive together in their communities” – Erica Dayton, Golisano Foundation Executive Director

All Friends Network was established in March 2020, with a mission to help individuals with disabilities enhance their quality of life through the joy of friendship. The population we serve is individuals within the disabled community, with a concentration of young adults with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and other Developmental Disabilities. All Friends Network offers three programs to our members; twice weekly virtual events, a member designated social media platform AFN Live-LINK, and monthly in-person social events. Our In-Person Social Events Program is by far our most popular and anticipated program by our members. Since the creation of our in-person events, member attendance has increased as well as membership to our organization. Members have expressed this program has significantly enhanced their quality of life, through increase in socialization and friendships, obtaining new skills and personal growth, and an increase in overall happiness. Our organization has uniquely designed programs to allow inclusivity to all members, including virtual events and the use of our social media platform AFN Live-LINK. This allows accessibility to members who are unable to attend due to physical capabilities or location of where our members reside. The availability of access to social engagements and interactions will enable all our members to obtain the benefits our programs provide.

Please contact All Friends Network to join our organization and receive further information on how our programs could be beneficial.
Contact: 941-587-7172
Email: trevor@allfriendsnetwork.org