Community Foundation awards grants to 9 organizations

St. Marys, PA, April 24, 2019:  The Board of Directors of the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) approved $42,500 in grants to area organizations at their recent board meeting. The grants included $14,000 awarded from the Elk County Economic & Community Development Fund, $3,000 from the Elk County Society for Special Services Fund, and $25,500 from the Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund.

Nine area non-profit and educational groups will benefit from the grants including the Boys & Girls Club of St. Marys, Ridgway Animal Haven, St Boniface School, Seneca Highlands IU9, Big Maple Farms Therapies, Christian Food Bank, Community Links, The Lutheran Home, and the St. Marys Sportsmen’s Club.

The Boys & Girls Club will be offering a brand new program beginning in June to provide the community with an affordable and educational day care program for students ages 6-15 throughout the summer. The Great Futures Summer Camp program and activities will be designed on a student-centered approach that highly engages participants in both learning and fun. Among the planned activities are STEM projects, participation in local park and library programs, and educational, sport, art, cooking and various activities provided at the club facility. The program offers parents another option for reliable summer day care. They received $5,000 grants from two of the funds for a total of $10,000.

Ridgway Animal Haven is building a new holding facility for the stray and abused animals in the Ridgway Borough and Township. They were awarded a $2,000 grant and a $2,500 grant, for a total of $4,500. St. Boniface School will secure 17 additional activity centers to aid in their development of a full time preschool with the assistance of their $1,000 grant. With their $2,000 grant, Seneca Highlands IU9 will be purchasing a large interactive white board for their St. Marys classroom.

Big Maple Farm Therapies was awarded $2,000 to provide riders in their therapeutic riding program with financial assistance. The Christian Food Bank will use their $8,000 grant funding to provide specialty food items such as turkeys, hams, etc. for the holiday food boxes. Community Links is in the process of purchasing a vehicle to provide safe transportation allowing individuals to access needed support services and activities that integrate them into the community. $3,000 grant funding will help them accomplish this goal.

A $2,500 grant for The Lutheran Home will help with a computer upgrade throughout their facility to update their operating system to help them document care and provide continuity for among caregivers. The St. Marys Sportsmen’s Club will use their $2,500 grant funds to help with infrastructure repair including replacement of fish hatchery drainage lines and renovating the stone basement walls of the barn.

The next round of grant applications are due July 15,2019. For more information on open grants and other services provided by the Elk County Community Foundation visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or contact ECCF at 834-2125. ECCF is a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen our region through development, stewardship and grant making as it works with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals.

PHOTO:  The Boys & Girls Club of St. Marys will offer many activities at their Great Futures Summer Camp, a new program that offers parents a reliable, educational, and fun option for summer day care, that has been funded by the Community Foundation. Tristan Hitaj is shown proudly displaying the result of a recent STEM project at the club.