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LASSI (Local Animal Shelter Support Inc) is already putting to good use a pet tag engraver purchased with a grant from the Community Foundation for Oceana County. According to Animal Control estimates, only 10 percent of dogs in Oceana have any type of identification on them, making it extremely rare to have a lost dog reunited with its family.
Community foundation awards over $24,000 in grants.
#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 Oceana County. A total of $24,374 was awarded as a result of CFOC’s competitive application process that is overseen by a subcommittee of its trustees.
Highlights of CFOC’s spring grant round include support for:
• Agewell Services – $2,000 to increase referrals for Meals on Wheels for Oceana County homebound residents 60+, by utilizing a street team for advocacy and awareness.
• El Centro Hispano de Oceana – $3,000 to provide financial literacy workshops to employees through the Employee Resource Network in partnership with Oceana Home Partnership.
• Golden Township – $3,000 to support landscaping projects at the Golden Township Park at Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
• Hart Main Street – $879 to implement SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) at the downtown Hart Farmers Market.
• Hesperia Community Schools – $1,000 to provide Kagan Cooperative Learning training to Oceana teachers.
• LASSI – $2,995 to purchase a pet tag engraver and supplies to provide identificaiton tags to 5,000 Oceana dog owners over the next 10 years.
• Muskegon County Health Project – $3,000 to provide bilingual resources, tools and participant training for coalitions focused on reducing teen substance abuse, strengthening parent/youth communication skills and increasing the percentage of adults self-managing their diabetes in Oceana County.
• New Era Christian Reformed Church – $1,000 to provide musical entertainment at the bi-weekly New Era Farmer’s Market.
• Oceana Conservation District – $3,000 to support an environmental education coordinator to develop curriculum and programming for area students and families.
• Shelby Public Schools – $1,500 to provide a water bottle refilling fountain in the middle school gym for morning play and to develop a student focus group for nutrition and wellness education.
• Village of New Era – $3,000 to support a village park renovation project, including walkways, picnic area and landscaping.
CFOC is currently comprised of 135 funds, totaling $11.7 million in assets. The individuals and organizations creating most of them are actively involved in deciding which nonprofits and community projects are supported, but some fund creators entrust the CFOC board to manage the contributions as part of CFOC’s competitive application process. The primary funding source is the Community Investment Fund, which supports critical, unmet needs that suddenly arise or to respond to community projects and opportunities as they develop. Other grant resources come from CFOC’s Field of Interest Funds focused on youth, health, parks and environment needs.
“Several grant advisors also pitched in to meet these grant requests. We appreciate the support from the Sparks/Ryan Memorial Fund, the JT Sackett Fund and Little Point Sable Arts for Oceana County Fund,” said Grant Committee Chair Garry McKeen.
Area nonprofits can apply for grants from CFOC in the spring and fall of each year. For the next grant round, applications are due September 30, 2018. 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 231-8618335, log onto www.oceana-foundation.org, or follow the Facebook page.
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