Wayne County Community Foundation awards grants

The board of trustees for Wayne County Community Foundation met in November to approve $467,945.89 in grants to 25 nonprofit organizations through its competitive grants cycle, The Women’s Fund and The Children’s Resource Fund.

Competitive grants are made possible by the donors who established community funds or field-of-interest funds at the foundation, making it possible for the board to meet the ever-changing needs of Wayne County.

Grants include the following:

—Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio received a $2,935.89 grant from the Raymond and Pauline Croskey Memorial Fund to purchase necessary operational equipment for its new space in Wooster, including a 12-step forward incline rolling ladder and a commercial ice machine.

—Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank received a $15,000 grant from an anonymous community fund to support the 2024 Wayne County Direct Distribution Program to provide food to people in need through the Wooster Hope Center.

—American National Red Cross received an $8,000 grant from the John Kaylor Memorial Fund to assist with direct client financial assistance for Wayne County residents who are affected by a home fire or other disaster to enable them to meet basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing.

—Boys and Girls Club of Wooster Inc. received a $33,950 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to purchase food from local food markets and vendors for Project Childhood Hunger Outreach Program to tackle childhood hunger in Wooster by focusing on two critical items: providing nourishing after-school meals and imparting essential knowledge about healthy eating habits.

—Dalton Local School District received a $50,000 grant from an anonymous community fund to purchase and install bidirectional amplifiers and distributed antenna systems in Dalton High School and Dalton Middle/Elementary School to boost wireless signals to enable better communication within the buildings and with first responders outside of the buildings when needed.

—Downtown Arts Theater Inc. received a $51,500 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to support the cost of a full fire protection system as part of its Lyric Theater renovation and reopening project.

—FoodSphere received a $50,000 grant from the Robert L. and Kathleen M. Polsky Foundation Community Fund to support the building of three administrative office spaces in the building at 146 W. South St. in Wooster as part of the FoodSphere and Local Roots capital campaign.

—Forget-Me-Not Baskets Inc. received a $5,490 grant from the Nolan and Elsie Hite Community Fund to produce three types of videos that would allow them to assist with training hospitals, provide testimonials and expand their reach.

—IncludeAbility received a $28,000 grant from the Carl E. Congdon Jr. and Susanna Congdon\McIntyre Memorial Fund and the Lloyd W. James Memorial Fund to purchase eight evacuation chairs for the stairwells within Orrville, Rittman and South East school districts as part of their emergency-preparedness project.

—Interlink Ministries Inc. received a $17,000 grant from the Florence L. Rice Community Fund to purchase an electric pallet jack, a conveyor system and a cardboard compactor for Food Fellowship Ministry, which is serving a monthly food box to needy families in Wayne County.

—LIFE A Dementia Friendly Foundation received a $15,000 grant from the Robert L. and Kathleen M. Polsky Foundation Community Fund to provide a second Memory Café location in Wayne County.

—National Inventors Hall of Fame Inc. received a $10,000 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to support Camp Invention registration costs for underserved Wayne County children during the summer 2024 program.

—OHuddle Incorporated received a $15,250 grant from the Helen A. Sprowls Charitable Fund to launch a pilot program to expand services to elementary students through GrOHuddle, a partnership with the University of Akron matching junior and senior high school students with elementary mentees.

—Pathway Caring for Children received a $15,000 grant from the John Kaylor Memorial Fund to partner with Kids & Giggles Daycare and Preschool in Wooster to provide therapeutic treatment to children age 2-5 who are enrolled in their childcare center and are at elevated risk for mental health challenges including sensory issues, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and emotional and behavioral issues.

—Smithville Community Historical Society received a $25,000 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund for remediation and restoration of its Sheller Log House.

—Tri-County Educational Service Center received a $5,000 grant from the Wayne County Choral Union Fund to create a new children’s chorus program, in partnership with Wayne Center for the Arts, that will be open to all students in fourth grade through seventh grade in the greater Wayne County region.

—Wayne County Housing Inc. received a $59,720 grant from an anonymous community fund for improvements to Secrest Village Apartments in Wooster to include paving, replacing concrete, repairing drainage and replacing four cottage roofs.

—The Wilderness Center Inc. received a $5,000 grant from the Ruth M. Tieche Community Fund for Nature Heals to provide immersive field trip experiences to clients of OneEighty over the course of a year.

The Women’s Fund was established to impact the lives of women and children in Wayne County by directing resources to organizations that support the education of women and empower change and self-sufficiency.

Based on the evaluations and recommendations from The Women’s Fund Advisory Committee, the WCCF Board of Trustees approved the following grant awards:

—Caring Closet of Wooster received a $7,500 grant for Fill the Closet, which will help fulfill the needs of women and children who need their basic needs met after moving out of domestic abuse situations or recovery from drug abuse. The grant was designated for direct services: undergarments, shoes and more.

—Mount Eaton Care Center Inc. received a $1,100 grant to initiate a breastfeeding support group to help increase knowledge about breastfeeding and provide support after mothers go home and experience problems.

—OneEighty Inc. received a $25,000 grant for Julia’s Place, the women’s crisis shelter, to help alleviate short-term operating expenses.

—United Way of Wayne & Holmes Counties Inc. received a $5,000 grant for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Wayne County.

The Wayne County Children’s Resource Fund was established in 2018 by Cheryl and Steve Shapiro to help remove barriers that may impede children’s ability to lead meaningful and productive lives. These barriers may include poverty, drug use, bullying, discrimination, learning disabilities, low self-confidence or a challenging home life.

Based on the evaluations and recommendations from the fund’s advisory committee, the WCCF Board of Trustees approved the following grant awards:

—Boys & Girls Club of Wooster received a $2,500 grant for the Breakfast Club, which provides breakfast for 100 kids at three different sites: Melrose, Parkview and Edgewood.

—Learn N Play of Wooster received a $10,000 grant for its playground renovation to replace its existing playground with safer, up-to-date equipment for its children.

—OHuddle received a $5,000 grant to support the creation of a 30-by-45-foot augmented reality mural in downtown Wooster that OHuddle mentees will help to create. The mural will become animated when viewed using a smartphone app.

Since 1978 the Wayne County Community Foundation has been working to strengthen the community. It is a nonprofit, charitable community organization. Since inception WCCF has awarded over $108 million in grants and scholarships back into the community.

Donations to these funds by individuals, families, businesses and service organizations help to increase the amount available for grants each year. For more information about the foundation, call 330-262-3877 or visit www.WCCFOH.org.