WCCF Announces 2017 Spring Grants

The Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF) Board of Trustees met in May and approved grant awards for the Spring competitive grant cycle. Sixteen organizations were awarded grants totaling $203,570 from some of the Foundation’s named community and field of interest funds:

The Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio received an $11,200 challenge grant from the Raymond and Pauline Croskey Memorial Fund to purchase a 13-passenger, wheelchair accessible minibus for Wayne County adaptive sport programs. The challenge grant is contingent upon the organization raising the remaining funds needed for the purchase.

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank received $3,070 from the WCCF General Fund for the Bulk Food Repack Program and to support the implementation of PantryTrak in Wayne County.

The Fredericksburg Community Library received $18,000 from the John G. Taggert Community Fund for the McCay/Weaver Building Preservation project.

Friendship Meals Inc. received $3,000 from the John Kaylor Memorial Fund to acquire new tables for their program. 

Wooster Youth Baseball Little League, Inc. received $25,000 from the Florence L. Rice Community Fund,  the Lillian Steiner Community Fund, and two anonymous community funds to renovate the Miller Fields complex.

OneEighty Inc. received $8,000 from an anonymous community fund to purchase “Bridge” devices to help individuals addicted to opiates, as part of the Bridge Opiate Withdrawal Project.

The Orrville YMCA Inc. received a dollar-for dollar challenge grant up to $75,000.00 from the Carl E. Congdon, Jr. and Susanna Congdon McIntyre Memorial Fund for the Orrville YMCA Natatorium Revitalization Project.

Rittman Exempted Village Schools received $3,000 from the Andrew Berkey Fund to purchase and repair, as needed, used musical instruments for Rittman Middle and High School Band students with financial need.

Trinity Christian Preschool & Child Care Center Inc. received $8,000 from the Carl E. Congdon, Jr. and Susanna Congdon McIntyre Memorial Fund for their Playground Project

The United Way of Wayne & Holmes Counties, Inc. received $2,500 from the WCCF General Fund for a feasibility study, Measuring Poverty Locally, done in partnership with The College of Wooster.

The Village Network received $10,000 from the Nolan and Elsie Hite Community Fund and the Tug and Alma Maibach Family Fund for the new Boys' Village Health and Wellness Center and Bob Maruna Field House.

Viola Startzman Clinic received $10,000 from the Harold and Lois R. Freedlander Community Healthcare Fund and the John Kaylor Memorial Fund to purchase dental equipment to support their expanded dental program.

The Wayne Center for the Arts received $5,000 from the Jeanne Heise Adams Community Fund and an anonymous community fund to purchase a new pottery kiln and for electrical improvements needed to support the new kiln.

The Wayne Growth Partnership-FFEF Fund (Fund for Our Economic Future) received $5,000 from the WCCF General Fund to support Wayne County’s continued participation in the Fund for Our Economic Future.

The Wooster City Schools received $16,000, to be granted over two years, from the WCCF General Fund and the Charles R. and Henrietta Yenne Fund for their 2018 Natatorium Renovation Fund Project.

The Wooster City Schools received $800 from the Albert “Koby” Kobilarcik Educational Fund to purchase books for “Shine a Light on Literacy” events in the community where families will be encouraged to attend to participate in reading and then each child will receive books to take home to read over the summer.

The WCCF is a not-for-profit charitable community organization established in 1978 to accept contributions, create and administer funds, and make grants for the benefit of the people of the greater Wayne County area. Since 1978, the Foundation has awarded more than $63.5 million in the form of grants and scholarships from its 400 separate funds.

Its Community and Field-of-Interest funds permit the WCCF Board of Trustees to be responsive to the changing needs of the community. Donations to these funds by individuals, families, businesses and service organizations will increase the amount available for grants each year. Contact Sara Patton, WCCF Executive Director, for more information.

Competitive grant applications from nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable organizations should be submitted by March 1 and September 1 each year. The grant guidelines and online application are available on their website, www.waynecountycommunityfoundation.org.