Toro Provides Leadership Gifts to Environmental, Education Nonprofits

The Toro Foundation has awarded new grants to support environmental, educational, arts and health and human service organizations in communities where Toro employees work and live. The Grants Committee of the Toro Foundation approved the latest grants, which total $240,000, at its December 2003 meeting.

Toro's environment grants include support for the work of the Environmental Institute of Golf (EIG), which received a $93,000 grant for its focus area information collection initiative. The grant serves as the lead gift for this important effort that will enable EIG to provide programs, services and communications that will help change behavior through the use of Best Management Practices, which lead to a stronger compatibility of the game of golf and the environment. The EIG is the philanthropic division of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

The University of Wisconsin-Stout received a $100,000 grant from Toro to support the "Golf Enterprise Management" Program - $50,000 for development of the program and $50,000 to support matching gifts to the program. This unique program, which is currently under development, will provide a business/management degree in Golf Enterprise Management, which will offer students with an interest in working in the golf industry an opportunity to earn a degree related to the many facets of successfully managing a golf-related business. With this grant, the Toro Foundation became a Founding Partner of the program.

Other recipients of Toro's recent environment grants included:

• Michigan State University ($15,000), to support the Turfgrass Information File (TGIF) retrospective indexing project. This is the second year the foundation has supported this effort to systematically convert to the TGIF format the published turf culture materials from around the world, both research and management content, from 1900 to 1983.
     
• Nature Conservancy ($40,000), for conservancy programs in Minnesota; Baraboo, Wis.; El Cajon, Calif.; and Lincoln, Neb.
     
• Izaak Walton League ($7,000), to host a Wetland Conservation and Policy Solutions Workshop in the Twin Cities. Approximately 50 individuals will attend the two-day workshop, visit wetland areas and commit to work with the League on at least one project related to wetland policy changes at the local level.

The Toro Foundation also approved a $10,000 grant for the First Tee Scholar program, to impact the lives of young people around the world by creating affordable and accessible golf facilities primarily to serve those who have not previously had exposure to the game and its positive values. The foundation will award $2,500 each year for a four-year period to a deserving student who has attended The First Tee National Life Skills and Leadership Academy.

Other local recipients of the Toro Foundation's latest grants include:

• Children's Theatre Company ($5,000), for operating support to help fulfill the organization's mission in the following program areas: Main Stage Productions, Center for Innovation in Theatre and Education, and the annual tour.
     
• Sister Kenny Foundation ($10,000), for the Sister Kenny Golf Program for Golfers with Disabilities. This summer program includes instruction in adaptive golf techniques, access to adaptive golfing equipment and an annual competitive tournament. Approximately 150 golfers participate in the program.
     
• Walker Art Center ($10,000) for "Birdbrain," an initiative created by New York-based choreographer Jennifer Monsoon that builds bridges between environmental education and dance. Guided by art and nature, Birdbrain investigates migratory patterns and habits of ducks and geese, as well as their relationship to humans. The company will do four outdoor performances. Each performance will be preceded by a brief movement workshop for the entire audience and will be followed by a panel discussion relevant to the performance. An eight-month curriculum has been developed and will be used in four local schools.

A complete listing of Toro’s 2003 grants and product donations will be published in The Toro Company Giving Program Annual Report later this year.

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