2010 – 2011 Grant Recipients
Grants Awarded from the Unrestricted Funds Approved by the Board of Trustees (through October 2011)
Great Miami YMCA – $2,000 this grant supported the Activate Butler County Program designed to battle the epidemic of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles in our community.
Fitton Center for Creative Arts – $75,000 funding provided to the Fitton Center to support their youth programs. Research continues to grow demonstrating significant evidence between improved brain functioning and quality arts participation by children. We support the programs at the Fitton Center that enhance and improve the quality of life for area youth.
Miami University Hamilton – $20,000 these funds support the Miami University Hamilton Downtown Center which offers educational, cultural and arts programming in downtown Hamilton. The downtown center supports educational opportunities and enhances the economic vitality of our downtown two primary goals of the Foundation’s strategic plan.
SELF Group Work Camps – $10,000 the week of July 4, 2010, over 100 volunteers from the Group Workcamps Foundation traveled to Hamilton and worked with more than 200 local volunteers to provide maintenance and repair to 37 homes owned by individuals physically or financially unable to do the work. By the end of the project, over 5,925 volunteer hours were expended resulting in significant improvements to the selected homes. This Foundation grant provided money to purchase needed supplies for the project.
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park – $100,000 these grants provided support for this 265 acre park to assist with programs and activities. Pyramid Hill offers a beautiful setting, spectacular outdoor sculptures, a holiday lighting display, a new antiquities museum, programs and activities for all ages. It is listed as the second most popular tourist attraction in Butler County.
Butler County Challenger Baseball League – $3,000 funds to assist with improvements to the Challenger baseball facility at Crawford Woods Park in Hamilton. These funds provided a match to a grant provided by the Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Committee.
People Working Cooperatively – $10,000 this grant was used to assist homemakers with need repairs to their homes. PWC works collaboratively with area organizations and individuals to identify residents in need and assisting with needed home repairs.
College Access Programing – $100,000 per year for three years these funds are used in a variety of ways to support the Foundation’s goal to enhance educational opportunities for our residents. One use of the finds is to bring programming to area schools to help students and families understand the importance of continuing education beyond high school, learning how to pay for post-secondary education and how to choose the right school and program. Programming for this is provided by Murray and Associates and the Center for College Costs, an organization funded in large part by the Lily Endowment.
Additional funds are utilized to hire a Youth Exploring Success (YES) Advocate to work in the Hamilton City Schools educating students and their families about realistic educational goals and helping them take the necessary steps to achieve those goals.
Butler County Historical Society – $84,192 this capital grant provided funds to assist with the construction of a new research center and entryway at the Butler County Historical Society at 327 North Third Street. The Foundation’s funds provided the needed dollars to complete the project and were used to supplement the generous capital grant made by Mrs. Olive Randall allowing for this project.
Shared Harvest Food Pantry – $10,000 these funds assisted Shared Harvest as they worked to meet the increased demand for food from the pantries and residents of Butler County.
Salvation Army – $5,000 this grant provided funds to assist with emergency needs of area residents provided by the Salvation Army.
Emergency Money Fund – $5,000 funds to assist with emergency needs in the community by the Emergency Money Fund.
Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati – $15,000 funds provided assisted the Legal Aid Society with the Stabilizing Neighborhoods Through Secure Housing and Foreclosure Program in Butler County. This program worked with area residents to help them remain in their homes and avoid foreclosure.
Community Counseling and Crisis Center Rape Crisis Center – $6,000 these funds allowed the Rape Crisis Center to continue to provide education, advocacy, counseling , outreach and crisis intervention services to residents in Butler County.
LifeSpan – $25,000 this Foundation grant provided needed dollars for LifeSpan’s Foreclosure Mitigation Program which provides education and counseling to assist homeowners in understanding their options as they try to avoid foreclosure and remain in their home. This program works in conjunction with Legal Aid’s Stabilizing Neighborhoods Program.
Hamilton Boys and Girls Club – $50,000 his grant provided needed funds to support the Boys and Girls Club in providing services homework assistance, art programming, prevention programming, technology skills and physical education to area youth at their facilities on East Avenue and Grand Blvd.
Visiting Nurses Association – $5,000 these funds assisted the Visiting Nurses Association in their work, providing in home care to Butler County residents with medical needs.
Hamilton Vision Commission – $5,000 funds provided to assist with the creation of a mural on the side of the building at Second and Court Streets in downtown Hamilton. This was a collaborative project between the Hamilton Vision Commission and ArtWorks, an organization utilizing the talents of area youth to create pubic art.
Great Miami Rowing Center up to $25,000 this grant matched funds raised by the GMRC to support their educational and rowing programs. Foundation dollars also created scholarships to assist area youth with financial need to participate in rowing programs.
Partners in Prime – $18,000 this grant provided funds for several capital needs at Partners in Prime. $12,000 was provided for kitchen equipment needed to continue food service programs for area seniors. As additional $6,000 matching grant was provided to assist with the purchase of exercise equipment for the Hamilton location.
Living Water Ministries up to $25,000 this is a matching grant to assist with the installation of air conditioning in Living Water’s facility the former Jefferson Elementary. Living Water provides a wide range of services to youth in the community.
Cancer Family Fund – $10,000 this is a grant to expand services by opening a fifth office in Butler County to serve individuals and families throughout northern Hamilton County and Butler County by providing one part-time counselor for Cancer patients and their families. The counselor will provide support to adults, children, and families who are affected by cancer through individual and family counseling, support groups, education, advocacy, and information libraries.