The Community Foundation of Wabash County awarded $67,500 in its 2021 fall grant cycle to support thirteen nonprofits working to meet urgent needs of county citizens and create quality of place programs and projects. Grants were awarded to the following nonprofit organizations:
85 HOPE Free Medical Clinic was awarded a grant for their Specialty Care Referral Fund, which funds services such as dental care, optometry, mental health services, and other specialized healthcare needs not provided at 85 Hope.
Blessings in a Backpack Wabash wishes to address hunger in children and will use this grant to provide food to students in need over the weekends. Better test scores, reading skills, health and attendance are attributed to consistent nutrition. With the provided food, students will arrive at school on Mondays focused and ready to learn.
Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana received a grant to improve access to healthcare for low-income people with cancer by providing assistance with transportation to treatment and financial assistance for cancer related expenses, including insurance and medical visit co-pays and medication costs.
Grow Wabash County will elevate its Young Professionals of Wabash County programming in 2022 with a focus on civic involvement, primarily through “lunch and learn” events, which combine socialization with peers covering educational topics such as buying a home or saving for retirement. The impact of this grant will create thriving, engaged members of the community with the ultimate goal of retaining talent in Wabash County.
Heartland Career Center is implementing new curriculum related to Digital Design as part of the Arts, AV Tech, and Communications, which will meet all of the state Next Level Programs of Study Digital Design standards. This grant provides students with the equipment that is standard in the industry they are studying.
Honeywell Foundation received a grant to support Cultural Immersion Student Matinees. Jarochicanos, a Chicago-based musical group specializing in the Jarocho genre of music that comes from Veracruz, Mexico, will perform a concert for students and adults and will feature traditional and contemporary children’s songs and lively audience participation through movement, singing, and dance.
Manchester Early Learning Center was awarded a grant to enhance two areas. Additional security cameras will be installed to increase building security and monitor outdoor areas in current blind spots. A new dryer will be purchased to handle the many loads of laundry that are done each night.
MSD of Wabash County Bridge Program, whose mission is to maximize the potential of all students, received grant support to purchase chromebooks to better meet students’ academic online learning needs and assist students in continuing toward a high school diploma.
Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Indiana provides a dedicated bridge of support to families of ill children and received a grant to provide Wabash County families a comforting home away from home at the Parkview Regional Medical Center when a child is hospitalized.
Timbercrest Retirement Community will use this grant to fund upgrades to Timbercrest Trails and other outdoor spaces, creating a safe and enjoyable outdoor area for residents and their visitors to enjoy while the pandemic remains a threat and Timbercrest attempts to address its effect on senior communities.
Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home requires weekly COVID testing for caregivers and was awarded a grant to provide rapid COVID tests for the eighteen caregivers who support Wabash County hospice and palliative care patients.
Wabash County Museum received funding to purchase, build, and design several new exhibits to allow for interactive, hands-on exhibits oriented towards older children. This new gallery space will be named The Charles F. Brush Invention Emporium in honor of Dr. Charles Brush, who was the inventor of the arc lamps that made Wabash world famous.
Wabash Middle School was awarded a grant to continue building the capacity for teaching and learning through outdoor/STEM educational opportunities by upgrading garden projects, including additional tower gardens and grow lights, shelving, and lumber for raised garden beds.
The Good Deeds grant program was established in 1993 to ensure that unrestricted grant money would be available to the Wabash County community to give priority to nonprofits and initiatives that address advancing educational attainment and alleviating urgent need. To date, more than $4.5 million has been distributed from the Good Deeds Endowment. Grant applications are due twice each year – February 15 and September 15. Guidelines and applications for the upcoming spring 2022 grant cycle are available online at www.cfwabash.org. Contributions to the Good Deeds Endowment can be sent to the Community Foundation of Wabash County, 220 East Main Street, North Manchester.