Small problems can be enormous in the life of a child.
The mission of the Mary Sarvis Memorial Fund (MSMF) begins from the recognition that children need more than just the essentials, and more than just therapy, to feel they belong in this world.
MSMF is committed to addressing the small and critical needs of children, by providing small grants that make a big difference in a child’s development.
For over 50 years, MSMF has empowered the social workers, teachers, therapists, and youth counselors who serve these children every day. We help them bridge small gaps in funding, resource the non-essentials, and provide access to tools and services that families cannot afford and social service agencies do not cover.
MSMF carries forward Dr. Sarvis’ legacy, by enhancing the daily lives of underprivileged children. Helping them to not just survive, but grow and thrive.
We are a small organization, run by a board of volunteers, ensuring that every penny donated is given to meet the needs of children. To stretch our funding as far as possible, we typically partner with organizations to combine resources.
MSMF is flexible, providing grants for a wide range of needs. There are no problems too small for MSMF to try and solve.
Here are some examples of past grants we’ve offered, pulled from our annual newsletter:
A teenager raised in foster care, with no family to buy him gifts, asked for “real” basketball shoes for his birthday. The Mary Sarvis fund provided his social worker with the resources needed to buy the same shoes as his teammates, giving him a sense of belonging.
A 12-year-old boy broke his eye-glasses necessary for reading and writing. The lenses were intact but with no family or county funds available, a Mary Sarvis grant partnered with a local optometrist to pay the copay to replace the frames.
A high school senior, in good academic standing, couldn’t afford the advanced calculator needed for his statistics class. The Mary Sarvis fund purchased the calculator, helping him to achieve his college ambitions.
A teenage boy, in foster care since infancy, was finally placed in a stable and caring home. His very committed social worker, knowing that he loved music, used a Mary Sarvis grant to purchase him a guitar.
Two teenage siblings in the foster system, wanted to stay together in a new home. Their foster family were willing to care for both of them, but unable to afford the beds needed to take them both in. The Mary Sarvis Fund bought beds for them both, so that the siblings could remain together.
A 15-year-old boy wanted a summer job, but couldn’t afford the uniform required. The Mary Sarvis Fund paid for his uniform so that he could work as a janitorial assistant in the Maintenance Department of a local school.
A 14-year-old girl, brought to the U.S. from Tonga by her grandmother for an education, could not afford to join the class trip to Washington, D.C.. The Mary Sarvis Fund helped to make the trip possible.
A 12-year-old boy loved the outdoors, hiking, exploring and camping. The Mary Sarvis Fund partnered with a scholarship from the camp to send this individual to summer camp.