21 May The Hive Grants $10,000 to Local Organizations
Members of The Hive were buzzing with excitement when $10,000 in grants were awarded during their annual social gathering on Saturday, May 18!
The Hive is a women’s giving circle established in 2018 through the Starke County Community Foundation. Since inception, this participatory grant-making group has awarded a total of $49,500 in grants to local organizations making a difference in Starke County.
The 2024 event featured testimony from past grantees about how funds from The Hive have benefited their organization as well as video applications from this year’s finalist organizations. All paid members got to cast a vote for the charitable group that spoke to them the most, and that’s how grant amounts are determined.
This year’s grant recipients include Dustin’s Place, a grief support center for children and families, that was awarded $4,000. New Day Foundation, an organization that helps cancer patients with treatment, expenses, and other challenges, received $3,000. The Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation, which grants to rural schools to help underprivileged children, and the Starke County Public Library System, who plans to revamp their Children’s and Young Adult Department, were each awarded $1,500.
The grant funds are generated from membership dues and an annual distribution from the Hive Giving Circle Endowment Fund at the Starke County Community Foundation. External support was provided by an anonymous contributor, the donor-advisor for the Hardesty Memorial Endowment Fund and the Carrier Family who directed a grant from The Luminous Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne to help supplement The Hive’s granting total for 2024.
The event’s brunch took place at Chesapeake Run Golf Club and was catered by The Rolling Scone. Flowers from Bianca Rose Floral Design were used for the center pieces, and everyone got to take home a sweet treat created by Arielle Jacobsma of Cookies by Arielle along with locally sourced honey from Honney’s Bees Apiary.
This philanthropic group is for local ladies as well as those who have ties to Starke County. So, if you’ve moved away from the area but still want to make a difference locally, you’re welcome to join as well! Hive members 16 to 22 years old pay $60 per year while all other members pay an annual dues of $120. Women can get a jumpstart on their 2025 membership by visiting The Hive page.
Viki Brown (Dustin’s Place)
Katrina Langford (New Day Foundation)
Harold Welter (Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation)
Sam Brewer & Kathleen Bowman (Starke County Public Library System)