Over $12,000 in grants awarded to local organizations.

Shelby elementary students participate in a new coding-music crossover program that is partially funded by the Oceana Youth Fund.

Over $12,000 in grants awarded to local organizations.

#CommunityFoundationforOceanaCounty

SHELBY – The Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation for Oceana County (CFOC) recently approved grant awards to a variety of community organizations in support of projects throughout the county.

A total of $12,652 was awarded as a result of CFOC’s competitive application process that is overseen by a subcommittee of its trustees. Awards for this round came from the Community Investment Fund, Bessie E. & Ethan Allen Gray Health Fund, Little Point Sable Arts Fund and the Youth Fund.

Highlights of CFOC’s fall grant round include:

• District Health Dept. #10 – $3,000 to expand/support substance abuse prevention efforts of Oceana Leads coalition, including funding for prescription medication lock boxes and support for the TOPPC youth committee programs and activities.

• Fountain Hill Center for Counseling – $1,771 to provide Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) opportunities to Hart preschoolers with an identified need for such services.

• Oceana County Family Court – $1,131 to educate juvenile offenders and their families, by utilizing fatal vision goggles, about the dangers of operating while under the influence of marijuana.

• Oceana County Council on Aging – $1,500 to provide home safety assessments and equipment installation, in support of seniors living in-home independently.

• Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan – $3,000 to provide room, board and support services at no cost to Oceana families, who are seeking critical medical or mental health care for children (birth to 21 years) in Grand Rapids.

• Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association – $750 to support education displays showing historical pictures and detailed accounts of life at the Little Sable Lighthouse, including some of the shipwrecks that have accrued around the light.

• Shelby Public Schools/Thomas Read Elementary – $1,500 towards the expansion of STEM/Music crossover lessons by adding 3-D Printing integration.

CFOC is currently comprised of 155 funds, totaling $12.6 million in assets. The individuals and organizations creating most of them are actively involved in deciding which nonprofits are supported, but some fund creators entrust the CFOC board to manage the contributions as part of CFOC’s competitive application process. Other grant resources come from CFOC’s Community Investment Fund, to which anyone can contribute. This fund’s purpose is to support critical, unmet needs that suddenly arise or to respond to community projects and opportunities as they develop.

“We truly want and need to do more, but are limited by the small size of our community investment fund. The foundation’s goal is to grow this endowment fund to $1,000,000, which would generate an additional $30,000 annually to meet grant requests. That will make a huge difference in our grant allocations,” said Grant Committee Chair Garry McKeen.

The foundation has a special opportunity to match gifts up to $25,000 earmarked to either the community investment fund or administrative fund – or both – until Dec. 31. “We are working hard to provide a new level of service to Oceana citizens. Each and every gift makes a difference – don’t miss your opportunity to have your gift doubled,” said Board Chair Randy Wagner.

Area nonprofits can apply for grants from CFOC in the spring and fall of each year. For the next grant round, applications are due March 30, 2019. Nonprofit organizations interested in seeking grant support from the community foundation are encouraged to visit www.oceana- foundation.org/grants to learn more.

The Community Foundation for Oceana County exists to enhance the lives of the people of Oceana by leading, promoting and channeling philanthropy that connects resources with local needs. For more information about the foundation, call Executive Director Tammy Carey at 231-861-8335, log onto www.oceana-foundation.org, or follow the Facebook page.

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