Pepsi is currently offering hundreds of organizations the opportunity to gain funding from the company through their Pepsi Refresh Project. Applicants are competing for grants in amounts as little as $5,000 and as much as $250,000 in categories such as health and education. Voters should go to refresheverything.com to vote through Nov. 30.

CrossingPoints, right on the University of Alabama’s campus, is competing for a $50,000 grant. As stated on the official website, CrossingPoints is a collaboration between the University’s Special Education and Multiple Abilities Department in the College of Education and the Tuscaloosa City and County School systems.

John Myrick has been teaching with CrossingPoints for three years and involved with the program for five years.

“We are a program for adolescents ages 18-21 with disabilities,” Myrick, director of CrossingPoints, said. “We focus on job skills training, functional academics and social skills training. The ultimate goal is that when our students graduate that they will have a job or also to help them become independent so they can live independent.”

Students receive hands-on instructions in vocational and employment aspects of transition at selected or assigned job sites on campus. The CrossingPoints Transition model helps employers better understand the realities and advantages of hiring people with disabilities, according to their website.

“[Being involved with CrossingPoints] has changed my perception about individuals with disabilities,” Myrick said. “It has helped me to understand that if you focus on individual’s strengths you can get them to do anything.”

CrossingPoints was developed nearly ten years ago, based off of a model seen at Penn State University. The program can only house 25 students. The goal with gaining the grant would be to expand the program.

“We want to use part of the money to pay for another graduate assistant,” Amy Williamson, CrossingPoints director, said. “The research opportunity with these guys is tremendous. We can do research with the small group that we have of individuals with disabilities on a college campus and we can spread that across the country and be able to touch the whole United States by the things we learn here. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough staff to dive into the research as much as we want to.”

Williams also said the grant would supply the students with a stipend for the employment they receive, which will give them a more authentic experience with working and receiving a paycheck. CrossingPoints will also look to increase technology use by improving the curriculum, computers and software with the grant.

Partnering with CrossingPoints, looking to support special needs adults in Tuscaloosa, is Eagles’ Wings, who is competing for a $250,000 grant.

“This is our third month in the competition for our Pepsi Refresh Grant,” Becky Johnson, Office Manager at Eagles’ Wings, said in an e-mailed statement. “If we win the $250,000 we will be able to pay for our land, 96 acres in Coker where we plan to build a residential facility for special needs adults. Five of the clients who attend Eagles’ Wings, Inc. actually attended CrossingPoints between the ages of 18 and 21. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with CrossingPoints for this grant money. $300,000 will go a long way to help special needs adults in the Tuscaloosa County communities.”

As of Sunday, Eagles’ Wings was ranked No. 11, nine spots from receiving the grant. The top two ideas in the $250,000 division receive the funding. CrossingPoints was ranked 133 in the division where the top 10 ideas receive the grants.

Representatives from both organizations say they need your votes.

“We know that to win we need new voters and obviously the student body of the University of Alabama is exactly that — new voters,” Johnson stated.

Alan Brown, a College of Education graduate student and CrossingPoints volunteer, said. “The staff works so hard to raise the funds necessary to provide for their students, and it would be amazing if the UA student body could pull together in support of this wonderful program.  It only takes a minute to go online and vote.”

Lamarcus Stokes is a student in the CrossingPoints program and Alesha Madison is a first year CrossingPoints volunteer.

“I love it,” Stokes said. “It’s a lot of nice teachers here and I learn more stuff about jobs. Everybody that’s out there please vote for us because we are a great program and we can really use the money to have more opportunities, so please vote for us.”

Madison, a junior majoring in business, said. “I would encourage people to vote. I think this is a great program and all that money would help benefit them with helping them out in the real world.”

Vote by going to refresheverything.com/crossingpoints and refresheverything.com/eagleswingsinc501c3nonprofit. Also vote through Facebook on the Pepsi page and by texting 103682 for CrossingPoints and 102562 for Eagles’ Wings to Pepsi at 73774.

“Winning $300,000 for special needs adults in Tuscaloosa would be phenomenal,” Williamson said. “This is a good opportunity for people to donate without actually having to donate their own money.”