Causeway Selects Top 20 Ideas To Receive $2,500 Each To Create A More Connected City

  • Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Causeway, a local non-profit that brings people together to share resources and ideas to create the change they want for our community, is wrapping up the first  ‘Causeway Challenge’, a competitive grant making program that awards $2,500 to twenty ideas that will make Chattanooga a more connected city.

Applications were open August 1-29, and the panel of five community judges has selected the top 20 ideas to be awarded $2,500 each. The judging panel included Alison Lebovitz, host on WTCI, Josh McManus, program director of the Knight Foundation, James McKissic, officer of Multicultural Affairs for the City of Chattanooga, Mike Sarvis, president of Cohutta Bank, and Shalin Tejani, CFO of Hamilton Plastics and owner of Ribbons and Bows, Oh My!

“Chattanooga is just one of those cities that inspires the best in people,” said Alison Lebovitz, host of The A List With Alison Lebovitz on WTCI and founder of One Clip at a Time.  “The Causeway Challenge is a great way to get people involved who may not have had an outlet to get their ideas off the ground before.”

The 20 ideas that were selected for funding include:

Gig Bridge by Anjali Chandra

Connecting the Hispanic Community with access to health education 



Connecting Chattanooga Neighborhoods with Rails Trails by Jim Johnson

Connecting neighborhoods to Chattanooga’s expanding parks and greenways



Ferger Place Park by the Historic Organization of Ferger Place

Connecting a historic park to its modern people



Nooga Made by Richie Johnson

Connecting locally made products and their creators to Chattanooga



Highland Park Commons Market & Community Garden by the Highland Park Neighborhood Association, Main Street Farmers Market and the St. Andrews Center

Connecting people to fresh food



Tech Rebirth Chattanooga PC Literacy Initiative by Scott Harrison 

Connecting low income students to global internet resources



Here to There by Katie Smith and Cat Collier Martinez

Connecting Cowart Place neighborhood to its public school Battle Academy



Open Streets Chattanooga by Christy Smith

Connecting Chattanooga to its streets



Transit to Transit by Gabrielle Blades

Connecting people to places through technology



Block Leaders Connect by Dr. Everlena Holmes

Connecting neighborhoods to the city of chattanooga



Connecting Homeless Chattanoogans to Jobs by the Chattanooga Community Kitchen

Connecting homeless Chattanoogans to job opportunities 



Chattanooga Cultural Connections by the Chattanooga School of Language

Connecting children to language



Passport to Latino-American Challenge by Gladys Pineda-Loher

Connecting local immigrants to community



Microgrants for Chattanooga by Tara Poole

Connecting individuals to resources



Sunday Showcase by Performing Arts League and Chattanooga Theatre Centre

Connecting young performing artists to support



CARTAgraphy by Alfonso Gomez-Arzola

Connecting bus riders to their bus routes



Power Lunch by Emma Williams

Connecting business professionals to middle school students in Title 1 schools



Community Cafe by Ella Sanders

Connecting neighbors to neighbors over meals



Coffee Cruisers by Mae Stuart

Connecting UTC Students to local businesses



Community Match by Robin Howe

Connecting high school students to local service opportunities



“We chose the theme of connectivity for our first Causeway Challenge because connections fundamentally create community, and so many people have different ideas for what it means to be truly connected,” said Abby Garrison, Causeway’s executive director. “The winning ideas address connectivity through a variety of interpretations--everything from transportation and outdoor space to food access and language. We are thrilled to see the diversity of the ideas.”

Causeway will be holding a Connectivity Showcase on Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 5-7 p.m. at their workspace at 16 Patten Pkwy. to congratulate the winners and hear more about their plans for implementation. The showcase is open to the public. 

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