Miami County Community Foundation
Announces 2010 Fall Grant Cycle

The Miami County Community Foundation (MCCF) is pleased to announce the beginning of the 2010 grant season.

“At the Community Foundation we're passionate about helping local organizations and projects that make a difference in Miami County,” says Mary Alexander, Director of Development at the MCCF. “We are heading into our fall granting cycle where we have the flexibility of granting funds to many different groups and a variety of programs. It’s exciting to see people helping people, whether it’s bringing a summer reading program to children, providing funds for the local food pantry or bringing playground equipment to a public park,” added Ms. Alexander. The MCCF has awarded nearly $1.4 million in community grants since 1993.

The Community Foundation offers grants to charitable organizations regardless of their 501(c)3 status. Applications are available at the MCCF office at 13 East Main Street in Peru at the Peru public library, or in .pdf format following this article.

If you have question about applying for a grant through the community foundation, contact Corinne Becknell Lucas, at 574-223-2227 or toll-free at 1-877-432-6423. Applications are due in the foundation office on September 30th 2010.

2010 Miami County Grant Applicaton

The Boomerang Sisterhood Awards Grants for Miami County

June 22, 2010

When it comes to giving, “What goes around comes around.” This is the motto of the Boomerang Sisterhood, a group of women committed to giving back to the community that gives them so much.

The Boomerang Sisterhood, a granting project facilitated by Miami County Community Foundation, hosted its annual grant awards reception on June 22. Sixty women attended the social event and participated in voting for their favorite programs and initiatives. Finalists were previously selected by the Boomerang Sisterhood grants committee and asked to attend the reception to make presentations to the group.

Awards were granted on a sliding scale, based on the preferences of membership voting. Grant recipients for 2010 are:

o   Miami County Helping Hands, Inc. ($1,200) – A human service agency formed to attack poverty by providing assistance in the form of food, housing, home heating, prescription medicine and other critical services to low income children and families at risk in our community. Miami County families whose income is less than 150 percent of the poverty level are eligible for assistance. Grant monies will be used for Brighter Tomorrow 2010 to respond to the newly unemployed and underemployed needing assistance in 2010.

o   BOOKS (Books Offer Our Kids Success) ($800) – A grassroots initiative begun in 2007 to support family literacy and inspire lifelong learning for Miami County residents. One book is purchased for every Miami county kindergarten student each month school is in session – currently totaling 4,050 books in 450 homes per year. Grant monies will be used for the purchase of books for the 2010-2011 school year.

o   Birthright of Peru ($600) – A program dedicated to assisting women of any age, nationality, or education through the difficult time surrounding a crisis pregnancy. Their goal is to help each woman locate and obtain the necessary resources needed to deliver a healthy infant and to provide a successful start in her child’s early years of life. The grant will fund the purchase of layettes for newborns.

o   Beta Sigma Phi Dental Clinic ($400) – A service project of Peru Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority. Grant monies will be used for dental care of Miami County residents qualifying for the dental clinic program – adults who need emergency dental care due to pain, fever or swelling – limited to low income, uninsured Miami County residents who are treated by a Miami County dentist.

“The Boomerang Sisterhood is a giving circle of Miami County women, who pool their resources to support organizations and programs such as these, to better the community in which we live”, says Mary Alexander, Associate Director of the Miami County Community Foundation.

The Boomerang Sisters fulfill this mission through their dues, an annual contribution of $120 to the Boomerang Sisterhood Fund with the Community Foundation. Half of the dues are distributed each year through grants. The remainder helps build the fund for future grant cycles.

A fashion show provided entertainment for the women attending the event. Fashions and accessories were provided by A Lady’s Place Boutique. Models included Mary Alexander, Jayne Kesler, Lori Purcifull, Abigail Smith, Erin Smith, and Vicki Wheeler. Door prizes were donated by several Boomerang members.

Women interested in joining the Boomerang Sisterhood, should contact the Community Foundation at 765-475-2859 or e-mail miami@nicf.org

MCCF Hands Out Nearly $15,000

Eight Charities beneift from funds

December 9, 2009

BY AARON TURNER
The Peru Tribune Managing Editor

Several area not-for-profits walked away from Monday morning with a little more security following the annual Miami County Community Foundation’s Grant Awards Breakfast. All said, $14,985 was distributed to eight charities to offset 2010 expenses.

“It really was like Christmas, making people happy,” Mary Alexander, associate director of the foundation, said. “The awards program is always fun. It’s a very worthwhile day. Although the Community Foundation, just like everyone else, didn’t have as good of a year as we would have liked, we’re still very pleased with the amount we were able to distribute.”

The Bona Vista Keys for Kids Preschool-Music Education program, funded in part by the Jane and Bob Haskett Fund, received $500.

The Grissom Air Museum’s “Seniors on Wheels/Benches” project received $1,300 funded in part by the Donald W. Ferrara Fund.

Miami County Helping Hands received $3,500 in part from the Jane and Bob Haskett Fund. “Our very first grant came from the community foundation, and every one we’ve received since, we’re extremely grateful for,” Hershel Manhart, director of Helping Hands, said. “We distribute and provide food for needy families, and since the first of the year, we’ve added 402 more first-time clients. “This grant really helps us out.”

The YMCA of Miami County received $3,185 for its technology development, funded in part by the John Nixon Unrestricted Fund. Dick Fullmer, director of the YMCA, said, “We’re truly blessed to have a giving community. Typically, a lot of non-profits struggle keeping up with technology the way for-profits do, and the YMCA is no exception. To receive this grant helps tremendously.”

The Nickel Plate Trail, Inc. received $500 for trail equipment and weed trimmers, funded in part by the Community Foundation Service Committee Unrestricted Endowment Fund. “We’ve come a long way in 10 years,” Mike Kuepper, director of the trail, said. “But we still rely heavily on community volunteers and contributions like this.”

The Ole Olsen Memorial Theatre – Children’s Theatre Workshop merited $1,500 for funding three workshops and a summer Shakespeare program. The grant was funded by the Bob Clary Unrestricted Endowment Fund.

Partners 4 Community Growth, Project SOAR earned a $3,500 grant, funded in part by the Chris and Beth Smith Unrestricted Endowment Fund. “Project SOAR started off as an after-school program for fifth graders at Blair Pointe,” Jan Douglas said. “But the need is so great for mentoring and positive role models for today’s youth that it’s grown to fifth and sixth grade at Blair Pointe, and seventh graders at North Miami and Maconquah. “Our philosophy is ‘Success in school equals success in life,’” Douglas said. “This grant helps us achieve that.”

The final awarded grant was to the Peru Public Library, for $1,000. The monies will aid the Teen Reading Program and was funded in part by the Jane and Bob Haskett Fund. “We wouldn’t be able to develop any program if it wasn’t for the generous support of the community,” MaryAnn Farnham said. “We’re trying to develop stronger teens to be the leaders of tomorrow. And the Miami County Community Foundation, as well as its donors, is a major part of that.”

Alexander said that the most rewarding part of Monday’s presentation was the diversity. “We reached several different areas of the community, from the youth to families,” Alexander said. “It’s a rewarding day that will have long-lasting impact on the community. The awards day is always a highlight for me.”

Salvation Army Receives Grant

Community Foundation & Dukes Foundation contribute to $18,000 donation

May 2009

The Salvation Army of Miami County was awarded an $18,000 grant to assist the newly unemployed, thanks to the generous people of The Dukes Foundation and Miami County Community Foundation. 

(Photo Courtesy of The Peru Tribune) Mary Alexander, MCCF; Major Tim Wilson, Salvation Army; John Claxton, Dukes Foundation; Debi Miser, United Way.

To be eligible for the $18,000 grant, the Miami County Salvation Army needed to show community support by raising a 50 percent match from local civic organizations, businesses and individuals.  “We just want to say thank you to our amazing community,” said Major Tim Wilson of the Miami County Salvation Army.  “We asked them to dig deep in a rough economy and they did.  We just can’t say thank you enough.  Also, a big thank you to Debi Miser, United Way Director, for writing the grants and going the extra mile for her United Way agencies.”

More than $9,000 was raised in just over two weeks, which qualified The Salvation Army for an $18,000 grant from the organization’s Midwest headquarters.  The grant plus the money raised will mean more than $27,000 in new money available to assist those in Miami County who are now struggling because of recent joblessness.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the January 2009 unemployment rate in Miami County was 15.5 percent.  This is a dramatic jump from last January’s rate of 5.3 percent.

The grant will allow The Salvation Army to provide help such as utility assistance, housing assistance, medical needs, gas for job search, and transportation for the first two weeks of a new job.  It will also aid in supplying groceries for families and individuals who are in crisis as a result of job loss occurring after October 1, 2008.  Individuals can contact The Salvation Army at 765-473-5498 for further details.