WCCF Announces Spring 2024 Community Grants

The Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF) Board of Trustees met in May and approved grant awards for the Spring competitive grant cycle. Twenty-nine organizations were awarded grants totaling $520,937.45 from some of the Foundation’s named Community and Field of Interest Funds:

Buckeye Authors' Book Fair Committee, Inc. received a $6,000.00 grant from the Earle & Ann Klosterman Family Community Fund to facilitate a week-long enrichment camp customized for students in grades 3rd through 8th, to address the pressing need for enhanced literacy skills and a deeper appreciation for books among students.

Christian Children's Home of Ohio received a $24,297.00 grant from the Florence L. Rice Community Fund to upgrade and renovate the outdated kitchen in the little girls cottage to better serve their young residents (ages 6-11 years), including cabinets, countertops, sink, and garbage disposal.  

City of Rittman received an $18,322.00 grant from the Andrew Berkey Fund and the Marjorie B. Newland Memorial Fund to replace the old Rittman city sign with a new, modern, Rittman sign located at the entrance to their City. 

Dalton Community Historical Society received a $15,000.00 grant from an anonymous community fund to restore the Eagle Hotel & Tavern building, one of the oldest standing buildings in Dalton, to a more original appearance and assist with other needed repairs. 

Doylestown Community Food Cupboard received a $20,000.00 grant from the Robert L. & Kathleen M. Polsky Foundation Community Fund to add one commercial cooler and renovate the garage and the present space of the pantry to increase items given to families.

Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry received a $3,500.00 grant from the Harold W. Picking Charitable Fund to pay for processing of deer into ground venison. They donate the meat to numerous food banks and ministries throughout Wayne County.

Girls on the Run East Central Ohio received a $5,000.00 grant from the Helen A. Sprowls Charitable Fund to provide financial assistance for girls, ages 8-14, to participate in youth development programming from Norwayne, Triway, Wooster City, Chippewa, Rittman and Northwestern school districts.

Habitat for Humanity in Wayne County, Inc. received a $50,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to help build five homes while also providing matching funds for other grants.

Innovated Opportunity received a $990.00 grant from the Jeanne Heise Adams Community Fund to purchase digital tablets for class instruction.

Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio received a $10,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to impact more than 1,900 students in Wayne County with vital financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programming.

Main Street Wooster, Inc. received a $2,975.00 grant from the Ruth M. Tieche Community Fund to hire a local artist to design a decorative utility box wrap that would be installed near the Lyric Theater at the corner of Market and South Streets, as part of Main Street Wooster's initiative to procure artistic wraps for the 15 utility boxes in downtown Wooster.

OneEighty, Inc. received a $25,000.00 grant from the Wayne County Community Foundation General Fund for one-time payments to help homeless individuals establish housing and to help those facing eviction to prevent homelessness.

Orrville City Schools received a $25,700.00 grant from the Carl E. Congdon, Jr. & Susanna Congdon McIntyre Memorial Fund to purchase supplies over 3 years for each building’s closet as well as a new large capacity washer and dryer for Orrville Middle School.

Graham Dunn Park Inc. received a $10,000.00 grant from the Robert L. & Kathleen M. Polsky Foundation Community Fund to purchase and plant 40 trees at the Silver Linden Park, in Dalton, to replace lost trees and add to the beauty of the park and to the health of the environment and our community.

Rails to Trails of Wayne County received a $10,000.00 grant from the Carl E. Congdon, Jr. & Susanna Congdon McIntyre Memorial Fund to offset construction cost increases for Closing the Gap between Allen Avenue, in Orrville, and Forrer Road on the Heartland Trail.

RePlay for Kids received a $2,686.00 grant from the Lloyd W. James Memorial Fund to partner with the Wayne County Public Library to establish an adapted toy lending program for children with disabilities.

The College of Wooster received a $25,000.00 grant from an anonymous community fund to help cover the cost for local non-profit AMRE projects.

The Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes Counties received a $50,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund for architectural fees to design a Mental Health Residential Treatment facility.

The Village Network received a $2,500.00 grant from the Charles R. & Henrietta Yenne Fund to provide pottery wheels for their art therapy program for youth in their outpatient programs and those living on their residential campus in Wooster.

United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties, Inc. received a $20,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to help cover the cost of the books that the children receive through the Wayne County Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

VANTAGE Aging received a $5,000.00 grant from the Edward, Arlene & Kaye Maibach Family Fund to replace essential kitchen and delivery equipment so that Meals on Wheels of Northeast Ohio can continue to provide nutritious meals to Wayne County seniors.

Wayne County Historical Society received a $9,000.00 grant from the Margaret Hauenstein Memorial Fund and an anonymous community fund to help restore failing masonry, repoint bricks and repair damaged stonework of the Beall-Stibbs House, which is approximately 200 years old.

Wayne County Schools Career Center-Aspire received a $7,590.45 grant from the Nolan & Elise Hite Community Fund to update and replenish their supply of laptops for in-class student use.

Wayne Growth Partnership received a $40,000.00 grant, over four years, from the Wayne County Community Foundation General Fund to help support business and workforce development and address barriers to growth. Current focus areas are childcare, workforce housing, and workforce development. 

West View Healthy Living received a $100,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to improve the lighting in the Carrington Memory Care Unit at West View Healthy Living.  A 24-hour lighting scheme would provide: a) high circadian stimulation during the day and low circadian stimulation during the night b) good visual conditions during waking hours c) nightlights that are safe and minimize sleep disruption.

Wooster City School District received a $2,500.00 grant from the Donald G. and Marjorie Pixley Beane Fund and the Albert "Koby" Kobilarcik Educational Fund to provide Pioneer Valley In Tandem literacy intervention resources to be used with K-4 students.

Wooster City School District received a $12,284.00 grant from the John Kaylor Memorial Fund for a Student Recognition Digital Display to be installed at Wooster High School to recognize all past and present athletic, art, and academic students’ accomplishments. 

Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution received a $1,830.00 grant from the Charles R. & Henrietta Yenne Fund to pay local monument companies to install new Veterans Association headstones on Patriots’ graves in Wayne County with no current headstones and restore Patriots’ headstones in need of leveling.

Zion Lutheran Church received a $15,763.00 grant from the Robert L. & Kathleen M. Polsky Foundation Community Fund to install double man-doors on their red outbuilding so that AAUW and Kiwanis can move pallets of used books to their book sale location at the Fairgrounds.

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 Wayne County. Since 1978, the Foundation has awarded more than $112.8 million in the form of grants and scholarships from its 570 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 help to increase the amount available for grants each year. Contact Melanie Reusser Garcia, 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.