19 Dec MCCF Awards Nearly $55,000 in Grants in 2017
The Miami County Community Foundation (MCCF) awarded $54,833.25 in Community Fund grants in 2017.
An Impact Grant of $10,000 was awarded to United Way of Miami County for Miami County Works. This project is a community employment workshop that seeks to reduce the employment barriers of Miami County residents and also to break the generational poverty cycle that affects local families. This two-hour education course concentrates on the completion of employment applications, appropriate interview attire, and identifying professional skills. The program is seeking to expand to incorporate more information and resources.
A $5,000 grant was given to the Miami County Historical Society, Inc. to update the organization’s computer system. With the updated system, the Historical Society is able to more efficiently preserve, catalog, and protect its Museum collection. The organization strives to preserve Miami County’s rich history and to share that history with the community.
Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. was awarded $4,350 for its Mobile Pantry Program. Food Finders partners with local sponsors for the monthly mobile pantries in Miami County. The program increases access to nutritious food in underserved communities that lack sufficient access to food sources.
$1,600 was given to Peru Circus Festival Band, Inc. The organization has musicians ranging from junior high age to senior citizens. They have been providing support for the Circus City Festival circus for fifty-eight years. The grant will support the group’s fund raising meal for their New Building Start-Up Fund project.
A grant of $2,500 was awarded to Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House (MACHH) for support of Miami County families. MACHH is a non-profit pediatric hospital hospitality house located on the Lutheran Hospital campus. Their mission is to offer temporary, minimal-cost lodging to parents and families of children receiving medical care away from home.
Servants at Work (SAWs) were given $1,000 for a wheelchair ramp project. SAWs build free wooden, removable wheelchair ramps with local volunteers to ADA guidelines for Miami County residents in need. This grant will provide funding for one of its projects.
“Manna on Main Street; Matthew: 25” received $1,000 to help the organization fulfill its mission. Manna on Main Street will provide nutritious meals to individuals in need living within Miami County. The organization’s board of directors is composed of members of St. Vincent de Paul, various churches, Miami County Helping Hands, First Christian Church, and others.
A grant of $5,000 was awarded to North Miami’s WarriorTech Robotics team, which is part of the FIRST Tech Challenge. Participants in this program are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in challenges. Students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles. They also learn the value of hard work, innovation, and sharing ideas.
The Peru Parks Department received $1,500 for assistance with its movie nights project. Through this project, the Parks Department wishes to utilize the Peru Parks System in order to provide activities for youth and family. This grant will assist with the purchase of a sound system and movie projector.
The MCCF awarded $1,350 to support the BOOKS (Books Offer Our Kids Success) program. BOOKS was established in order to help Miami County residents have high quality children’s literature in their own homes. One book is purchased for every Miami County kindergarten student each month school is in session. Along with the books, an informative flier is sent home to help give parents ideas on various ways to interact with the book.
$1,000 was given to Ole Olsen Children’s Memorial Theatre, Inc. for the Children’s Theatre Workshop’s (CTW) summer production of “The Tempest.” Students in high school through college level are cast in the production, and the performance is free to the public. The CTW aims to show the cast and audience members that Shakespeare plays are timeless and that the stories they tell can be paralleled with modern day situations.
Scratching Post Cat Rescue, Inc. of Peru received a $4,414 grant. Scratching Post Cat Rescue was established by Shelley Shircliff in order to help reduce the feral cat issue in Peru. The grant will be used to purchase new cages for the isolation area. When cats are brought into the building, they are first isolated in order to receive the proper care and vaccinations before they join the rest of the cats in the shelter.
$1,300 was awarded to Systems Of Care Governance Coalition. The grant will assist with bicycle repairs and locks for the organization’s “Life Cycle” program. “Life Cycle” is a program that uses community collaboration and grant funding to repair recycled bicycles and give them away to community members free of charge. The project is made possible by the Systems Of Care Governance Coalition’s partnership with Woodcrest Manufacturing, Peru Police Department, Breakaway Bikes, Inc., Main Street United Methodist Church, and the City of Peru.
In addition to these grants, dollars were allocated for special projects and programs.
Grants are made possible through MCCF Community Funds. These endowed funds will continue to grow and support community projects now and forever.
To apply for a grant visit our grant page and get information on support for organizations serving Miami county or call 765-475-2859.