PC Community Foundation celebrates grantees at breakfast

Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Putnam County Community Foundation recently held a breakfast for more than 80 of its grant recipients. Grants awarded totaled more than $150,000

A crowd of more than 80 was greeted by the Putnam County Community Foundation's Executive Director Elaine Peck to celebrate the Community Foundation's 2013 Spring Grant Awards on Friday.

The breakfast, provided by Almost Home, was held in the Community Room of Area 30, where it was announced that $172,137.09 was being awarded from the Community Foundation's unrestricted, field of interest endowments and donor advised funds. The event was sponsored by Hendricks Power Cooperative.

Todd Lewis, chairman of the Community Foundation's Grants Committee, also thanked donors to the unrestricted endowment, noting that it is due to their generosity that the Community Foundation is able to make grants for Community Grants, Endowment Builder Grants and Youth Philanthropy Grants.

Dean Gambill, Foundation director of community development, recognized individuals and organizations that have given unrestricted gifts to the Community Foundation which makes these grants possible. "This money doesn't grow on trees but it exists because many people had the foresight to invest in the future by starting unrestricted funds. Without these individuals and organizations, the Community Foundation would not be able to have the impact in the community that it does today."

Each year the Community Foundation awards grants in the spring and fall for charitable projects that improve the lives of Putnam County citizens. Three different types of grants are awarded: Community Grants, Endowment Builder Grants and Youth Philanthropy Grants. Each has its own application and requirements.

Community Grants awarded totaled $150,937.09 and included several multi-year grant commitments made in previous years. Several of these grants were fully or partially funded through Field of Interest and Donor Advised Funds.

The spring 2013 Community Grants recipients are:

-- Beyond Homeless, provide services for homeless persons, $15,000

-- Big Brothers/Big Sisters, begin a new program in Putnam County, $5,000

-- Castle Arts, support expansion of pilot program, $3,000

-- DePauw School of Music, support for "The Middle School Collabrotaive: Music for a New Generation", $4,500

-- Gleaners Food Bank, Support for Back Sacks, weekend nutrition program, $5,000

-- Greencastle Schools Alternative Education, purchase software to enhance alternative education, $1,000

-- Greencastle Presbyterian- SAWS, build ramps for the terminally ill person, $12,500

-- National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Indiana, support for the MS referral network for PC residents, $250

-- Putnam County Non-food Pantry, provide essential non-food items to needy families, $2,500

-- Putnam County Emergency Management Agency, provide 2 VHF/UHF radios for the Citizen's Emergency Response Team, $3,583.10

-- Putnam County Library, renovate the children's section of the library, $5,000

-- Putnam County Library, purchase video equipment for documenting Putnam County life through interviews and a Summer Teen Filmmaking Club, $5,000

-- Putnam County Senior Center, replace aging HVAC units, $12,000

-- Reelsville Water Authority, philanthropic match for full points toward IOCRA grant, $5,731

-- Roachdale Christian Church, support for food pantry, $500

-- Roachdale Revitalization Cooperative Alliance, support preliminary plans for a community center and economic revitalization in Roachdale , $3,000

-- Salvation Army, support for Putnam County program, $1,000

In addition to these new awards, the Community Foundation recognized and issued grant checks to organizations based upon commitments made in previous years:

-- Putnam County Rural Transit, to provide access to public transportation to all Putnam County residents, $10,000

-- Greencastle/ Putnam Co. Development Center, support economic development efforts in Greencastle. Putnam County, $20,000

-- Ivy Tech Community College, to meet building, equipment and technology needs of Greencastle Campus, $50,000

-- Putnam County Library, support for the imagination library, $3,000

-- Greencastle Civic League, support for a splash park at Robe Ann Park, $8,000

Endowment Builder Grants awarded this spring totaled $20,000. To qualify for an Endowment Builder Grant an organization must establish or have an existing endowment with the Community Foundation and submit a plan for increasing the endowment. The Community Foundation matches one dollar for every two dollars that the organization raises. The Endowment Builder Grants approved this spring are:

-- Humane Society of Putnam County, $8,000

-- Putnam County Museum, $12,000

Youth Philanthropy Grants awarded totaled $1,200. These grants are for youth-led community service projects. The spring 2013 Youth Philanthropy Grant recipients are:

-- First Christian Church-Isaac Harms Eagle Scout Project, build and install bat boxes at the DePauw Nature Center and Jaycee Park, $200

-- Cloverdale High School FFA, support Project Pig- providing 1,000 lbs. of pork to New Providence Baptist Church Food Pantry, $500

-- Summer Enrichment Program, support for drama program, $500

All eligible organizations are encouraged to apply for grants from the Community Foundation. For more information contact Dean Gambill, Community Development Director, at 653-4978.

The Putnam County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1985 to administer funds, award grants and provide leadership, enriching the quality of life and strengthening community in Putnam County. The Community Foundation administers more than 235 funds for donors supporting a variety of charitable causes. For more information about the Community Foundation visit www.pcfoundation.org.

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