The Sam Lamantia Founder’s Award was established in 2019 and is available exclusively for the members of the National Courage House Support Network for Kids. The first prize of a $10,000 grant and the second prize of a $1,500 grant is awarded annually to two facilities to support a specific program that directly benefits the well-being of the children they serve.
Over the past four years the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation has supported various initiatives across the country including:
2021
- Therapeutic Lodge Restoration – Gateway Longview (Buffalo, NY)
- Reading Program – Rickey Jackson Community Hope Foundation
2020
- Foster Care Recruitment Program – Children’s Home Society (CAR)
- Therapeutic Nursery Refurbishment – Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (PHI)
2019
- Music Therapy Program – Childhaven (SEA)
- Mobile Computer Lab – A Place Called Home (LAR)
2022 Winners
1st Prize
NEIGHBOR TO FAMILY, INC (JAX)
The Jacksonville Jaguars Courage House, Neighbor to Family, Inc. was selected as this year’s recipient to support their Disaster Relief. Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it made landfall west of Ft. Myers, FL on September 28, 2022. The sibling foster care office building located in Daytona Beach was not in a flood zone, thus the program did not have flood insurance. The facility supports hundreds of children in the foster care system with needed services.
The entire building was found to have seven inches of standing contaminated water when it was safe to go on the property. Mold had started to grow on children’s car seats, office furniture, children’s toys, books, and all other items in the building were ruined. All filing cabinets had water inside of them and had even begun to rust. All avenues of insurance claims were denied and FEMA would require a loan payment. The Jaguars were able to commit $5,000 to help with the cause, to go with the $10,000 award from the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation, covering all costs for the restoration.
2nd Prize
PROVIDENCE HOUSE (CLE)
The second prize was awarded to the Cleveland Browns Courage House, Providence House, to assist with restoration of their Crisis Nursery Playground. The facility provides up to 20 children (newborn to age 12) a home-like, trauma-informed facility that includes play/education spaces, dining area, sibling bedrooms and a formal family room.
