Ottawa County Community Foundation awards over $49K in grants

By MARCIA JESS

Ottawa County Community Foundation

The Ottawa County Community Foundation awarded over $49,000 in competitive grants to 29 local non-profit organizations at the annual Grant Awards Breakfast on June 20.  The event provided an opportunity to celebrate the work of a variety of charitable organizations whose projects and programs address current and emerging needs throughout Ottawa County in the fields of education, social services, physical and mental health, safe and positive living environment, natural resources and the arts.  Thank you to each organization that identified a need and submitted a grant request.

The Foundation is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year.  Since the first grant was awarded in 2003, cumulative grants to support charitable organizations and projects total over $440,000.  The efforts of the Foundation will continue to grow as we invest in our community’s future.

The following are the 2019 grant recipients:

• Terra College Foundation – Supplies and snacks for Kids College
• Oak Harbor Log Cabin Association – Support for summer concert series at the Log Cabin
• Harris-Elmore Public Library – Materials to display and preserve Ottawa Co artifacts
• Stein Hospice Services, Inc. – Supplies for kid’s bereavement program/Camp Good Grief
• Oak House – Sturdy, stackable banquet chairs for participant use
• John E Braun Memorial Park – Add electrical power to pole barn in the park
• Joyful Connections – Furniture and refrigerator, for family use during visits
• The Salvation Army – Send at-risk children to week-long Salvation Army Camp
• Catawba Is. Historical Society – Storage shelves for archival protection of artifacts
• Greater PC Area Arts Council – “Beached Fish” for a deposit of recyclable bottles/city beach
• Cultivate the Clover of Ottawa Co. – Training of camp counselors for 3 4-H camps
• Ottawa County Museum – Convert two boarded windows to display cases
• Light House Sober Living – Sober living activities to support adults with addiction
• Nightingales Harvest – Provide cancer families with gas/transportation; advertising
• Friends of Port Clinton Parks – Installation of a second small pavilion in Lakeview Park
• Musical Arts Series in PC – Provide live music concerts at local senior communities
• Engaging Opportunities Foundation – Startup renovation of Christy’s Corner Café
• Ottawa Co Family Advocacy Center – Support Port Clinton summer lunch program
• Ottawa Co Family Advocacy Center – Laptop computer for Grandlove advocate
• Ottawa Co Family Advocacy Center – TNT Mentoring school spirit T-shirts
• OC Family & Children First Council – Assist at-risk families not eligible for other programs
• ARC of Ottawa County – Summer camp for children with developmental disabilities
• Oak Harbor Lions Club – Community LED billboard sign to be used by non-profits
• Oak Harbor Tree Commission – Purchase trees for east and west gateways into Oak Harbor
• Playmakers Civic Theatre – Replace master lighting control board for stage lighting
• Harris Elmore Fire Department – Purchase SCBA face mask nameplates for firefighters
• Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa Co – Materials for construction of a single-family house
• Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge – Concrete trail to increase youth fishing access
• Luther Home of Mercy – Establish a scout troop for LHM residents

Funding for these grants is made possible from several unrestricted Community Funds held by the Ottawa County Community Foundation including the Kenneth and Naomi Akins Family Fund, Bob and Grace Armbruster Fund, Lenore Peterson Blackburn Fund, Earl J. Johnson Fund, OCCF Fund, Lenore Peterson-Blackburn Fund, Dr. James I. and Priscella Rhiel Fund, Paul H. Rofkar Community Needs Fund, Harry Stensen Memorial Fund, and Dave and Jeanne Thierwechter Fund, as well as one Donor, Advised Fund and generous cash donations.

The Ottawa County Community Foundation is a public charitable organization established in 1999 as a way for donors to pool and invest their gifts for the long-term good of Ottawa County, its residents, and those who live and work in the Ottawa County area.  To learn more about the Foundation or how you might start a named fund or scholarship, visit our website:  www.ottawaccf.org.