CLINTON COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANTS
Non-profit organizations awarded $126,581 in 2010
December 31, 2010 —The Clinton County Community Foundation has awarded $126,581 in competitive grants in 2010.
"Through the foresight of donors who have made endowments over the years, we are able to support organizations that provide vital services to the community," said Bill Beard, Chairman of the Clinton County Community Foundation Board of Directors. "The money we are entrusted with is intended to be a positive influence for the residents of the community. We thank the donors and the organizations for providing the support and the services that need to be offered in order for improvements to be made within a community."
$3,800 to Abilities Services will provide funding to start a new program called "Planting for Growth." In this program, participants with disabilities in the day service program and staff will create stand-alone, waist-high garden beds for the planting and harvest of fruits and vegetables. The fruits and vegetables will be incorporated into the day program, where the participants will be taught how to can and develop healthier cooking habits. The harvest will also be sold at a local farmers market and made available to participants through a "country store" counter for healthy snack options. Customer service training and basic accounting for record keeping will also be included in the project.
$2,000 to Book Readers and Horn Blowers will provide funding support for the 2010-11 program featuring the book entitled "John Phillip Sousa" from the award winning series, "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers" by Mike Venezia. The program will be offered to approximately 1,100 kindergarten through 5th grade students at Clinton Prairie Elementary and Suncrest Elementary Schools.
$1,630 to the Clinton County 4-H Advisory Council will provide partial support for the 4-H Geographic Information Systems (GIS) project. Grant money will be used to purchase 10 global positioning handheld receivers. The 4-H GIS project provides a fun, educational program that helps introduce young people to a technology which will enhance their knowledge and skill set of using GIS and conducting mapping. The receivers will enable 4-H members to check out a receiver, use it to map coordinates and create their own map layers covering a feature of interest to them. Members will be required to complete an individual and a group mapping project that will displayed at the fair.
$1,034 to the Clinton County Boys & Girls Club provides support to expand the Triple Play Program. Triple Play takes a holistic, comprehensive approach to helping members make healthy "mind, body, soul" choices. Grant money will be used to purchase additional fitness equipment for the program, not only to accommodate the additional number of children served, but to also entice children of varying interests to participate.
$976 to the Clinton County Commissioners for the Clinton County Sheriff's Department will provide support for the Teenagers Eliminating X-Rated Texts (TEXT) project. The TEXT program will be implemented in Clinton Prairie, Clinton Central, and Rossville Consolidated School systems. The purpose of the TEXT program is to educate Clinton County students in grades 7 through 12 about the dangers and consequences of sexting. The goal is to increase the awareness regarding the risks of sending or receiving sexually explicit text messages and photos via cell phone and inform teenagers of the legal consequences of sexting, including the potential for arrest and prosecution. The program will be accomplished through convocation style presentations, printed materials and advertising. Grant money will be used for printed brochures and advertising costs.
$3,000 to the Clinton County Fair Association will be used to pay for an income survey for the county. The survey must be completed in order to apply for a community development block grant with the Office of Rural Community Affairs. This is the initial step in an effort to update the 4-H community building.
$2,700 to the Clinton County Family YMCA will be used to purchase a lawn mower.
$30,000 to the Colfax Lions Club will provide partial funding to complete Phase Two of the building and renovation project at Colfax Lions Park. The Lions Club owns a complex that houses little league fields, playground equipment, a truck and tractor pull track and a parking lot. Phase Two includes two new baseball fields, new lighting, parking lot relocation, shelter house renovation and the purchase of three lots in front of the park.
$3,900 to the Frankfort Main Street Association will provide support for artists' expenses and to purchase Direct to Metal (DTM) enamel paint to complete the mural project. The murals tell the story of the Clinton County community beginning with the Miami Indians in the 1800's to the 1950's era and serves as an attraction for visitors.
$17,500 to Habitat for Humanity will be used to help complete the second of three phases in the North Meadows subdivision in Frankfort. Phase Two will complete the street base, paving, curbs and utility taps for the completion of the end of John Street and a cul-de-sac. This will allow the next five houses to be built.
$2,789 to the Humane Society of Clinton County will provide funding to add 10 outdoor dog runs on the east side of the building. The runs will be used for animals while the staff cleans the pens, for animals that do not get along with other animals in groups, to conduct dog interaction personality tests and to provide a safe outdoor environment for the animals. This will help the public perception of the facility and increase the potential for animals to be adopted.
$30,000 to the Michigantown Youth League will provide partial funding to the league to expand and update current baseball/softball facilities that include additional playing diamonds, a new parking area, dugouts, fencing and drainage.
$7,500 to the Paul Phillippe Resource Center will provide funding to install a handicapped door for the Paul Phillippe Resource Center. This will be an ADA-compliant door and will improve the access for clients who require assistance.
$4,000 to the Riley Neighborhood Organization will provide matching support for the Riley Park Master Plan project. Grant money will be used to hire a landscape architect to complete a master plan of the historic Riley Elementary School site and grounds. Professional planning services include process facilitation, base plan creation, illustrative drawings and packaging, and formatting of the materials useful in delivering the master plan vision. The master plan will be used as a catalyst to solicit necessary funds from granting agencies, government, corporate and private donors in an effort to develop the land into a neighborhood focal point and maintain a piece of the community's history.
$5,600 to the Rossville Middle/High Schools will provide funding to support a Battle of the Books program at each county high school and middle school: Clinton Central Junior-Senior High School, Clinton Prairie Junior-Senior High School, Frankfort Middle School, Frankfort High School and Rossville Middle/High School. The plan is to have two Battle of the Books competitions and invite the winning teams from each school to compete against each other. The purpose is to encourage students to read and talk about books.
$9,715 to Wesley Manor will provide funding to purchase five defibrillators with cabinets. According to the American Heart Association, the size of the facility requires additional defibrillators.
$437 to the YWCA of Greater Lafayette supports the Hispanic Reflexiones class program and materials. Two different classes will be offered in English and in Spanish and will meet once a month. Materials will help participants engage in projects related to the class topics. The Reflexiones is a free monthly class held in Frankfort and is designed to help build an awareness of the issues surrounding self-esteem. Through goal setting and personal reflection, it is hoped that participants will be able to develop skills that can improve self-esteem and create confidence.
The Clinton County Community Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization created in 1996. The mission of the Foundation is to improve the quality of life of the community through the accumulation and stewardship of enduring charitable gifts. For details about making a charitable gift or establishing a permanent endowment fund to benefit a charitable organization or interest in Clinton County, please contact the Community Foundation at (800) 964-0508 or visit the Web site at www.cfclinton.org.
