Local News
MCF AWARDS $419K IN LOCAL GRANTS
By
Sep 9, 2008, 20:01

The Marion Community Foundation announced the recipients of its 2008 grants–21 grants totaling more than $419,000 awarded to Marion area organizations–during the Foundation’s second annual Grants Announcement Breakfast, held Tuesday ( Sept. 9) in Marion.
“We are pleased to, once again, be the vehicle for so much good in the Marion community,” said MCF president Brad Bebout. “The grant awards are truly the Marion community helping its own.”
Bebout noted that due to a carryover in funds from the previous year’s grant cycle, the amount awarded in 2008 represents a 49 percent increase in grant funding. He also pointed out that these grants represent only the discretionary grants awarded in MCF’s competitive application. “They are ‘discretionary’ because these funds' donors gave discretion to MCF's Board of Trustees to decide which organizations are most deserving,” explained Bebout. MCF also awards grants in a non-competitive process at other times in the year from funds created by donors who have designated the recipient organization(s). MCF also awards scholarships.
The grant recipients were recognized by MCF’s grants committee members, who include: Dr. Scott Yancey (chair), Dr. Henry Heinzmann, Vi Griffith, Lenora Mayes, Anne Davy, and two non-board members, Debby Shade and Ted McKinniss.

The 2008 major grants include:
– Muscular Dystrophy Association, $5,000, providing funding for a MDA Summer Camp 2008 for Marion County children ages 6-12 who suffer with muscular dystrophy;

--Marion Technical College, $25,000 in 2009 and $25,000 in 2010, funding in support of the construction of a Health Technology Center that will house nursing and allied health education programs;

--Marion City Health Department, Safety-Net Prenatal Voucher Program, $12,500, providing access to prenatal care for women in Marion County who meet financial criteria and do not qualify for Medicaid;

--Marion Adolescent Pregnancy Program, Inc., $50,000, to fund the Changes and Choices education program in Marion area middle schools and high schools;

--Ohio Heartland Community Action, $53,000, two grants in support of the United Community Prescription Program for low income medical prescription assistance in Marion County, $10,500 will be given in 2008 and $42,500 in 2009;

--James H. Johnson-Charles Rudd Community Complex, Inc., complex renovation, $20,000, for renovations and improvements to enhance the usability of the Community Complex Center, 6342 Marion-Agosta Rd.;

--Marion Area Counseling Center, Inc., Center Street Community Clinic Integration Pilot, $12,400, to increase access to behavioral health services at Center Street Community Clinic;

--Marion Youth Development Council/Boys & Girls Club of Marion County, $30,000, for after school and summer programs for children;

--Center Street Community Clinic, $120,000, for primary health care and dental care for low income families;

--Royal Family Kids’ Camp, $7,500, in support of Royal Family Kids’ Camp of Marion County 2009, a camp program designed to give abused and neglected children a week of positive memories;

--Marion Community Foundation/United Way, $40,000 each, support for the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative, a community-wide effort to address the most significant adolescent mental health issues; and,

--Palace Culture Arts, $15,000, the fourth of a five-year pledge to support the arts.


The 2008 mini grants include:

--Central Ohio Parkinson Society, $2,500, to provide resources for Marion residents with Parkinson’s Disease and their care partners to exercise at home;

--Marion County Historical Society, $2,000, for the purchase of moveable archival shelving needed to preserve 596 bound volumes of newspaper currently housed in archives;

--Harding Home State Memorial/Ohio Historical Society, $2,000, funding for the School Education Outreach Program craft supplies for the Summer 2009 Children’s Educational Programs at the Harding Home;

-- Eye-to-Eye Low Vision Support Group, $2,500, for the reprinting of a resource guide and the purchase of visual aids and supplies;

– League of Women Voters of Marion, $2,400, to provide funds for the League's Voter Guide, Candidates Night Debate, Town Hall Meeting, List of Public Officials and voter education materials;

--Marion County Family Court, $2,400, for the purchase of books that help parents and children talk about divorce, the printing of labels and make copies of questionnaires;

– Arthritis Foundation, $2,500, to fund the Arthritis Home Assessment Program for 20 hours of occupational therapy and medical equipment; and,

– American Red Cross, $2,500, to provide preparedness equipment and training at key locations where seniors gather throughout Marion County.

To address the needs of Marion’s food pantries and soup kitchens, Marion Community Foundation will once again allocate funds from the grants program in support of Operation Community Spirit. Last year, MCF offered $5,000 in a matching funds program to enhance the funds raised on Make a Difference Day in October. In light of the success of that project, this year, MCF will double that amount to $10,000, the proceeds of which will be shared among the various participating food pantries in the Marion area.
MCF’s Grants Committee reviewed 56 applications and more than $1 million in requests in this
year’s grant cycle. “The committee reviewed applications, conducted applicant interviews, and, after careful deliberation, made recommendations to the full board of trustees, which made the final decisions,” explains Bebout. The grants will be paid over the course of 2009 from seven separate funds within MCF.
In the past 10 years, MCF’s portfolio of funds has grown from one to nearly 90, valued at $16 million. The Foundation has awarded more than $2.5 million in local grants and scholarships. Its funds address local needs in healthcare, the arts, environment, education and economic development. The full-time staff includes president Brad Bebout and administrative assistant Diana Rinesmith. Members of the Board include: Pamela Hall, Anne J. Davy, Rex Parrott, Tom Johnston, Phyllis S. Butterworth, Ronald D. Cramer, Ted Graham, Larry Geissler, Violet Griffith, Dr. Henry Heinzmann, Sue Jacob, Lenora Mayes, and Dr. Scott Yancey.
Additional information on the Foundation and its grants program is available by calling 387-9704 during standard business hours or by visiting the offices at 504 S. State St., inside the Stengel-True Museum, or on the web at www.marioncommunityfoundation.org

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