$19,500 in grants awarded to Oceana community.

Volunteers and staff sorting some of the 2,000 books recently purchased with grant funds. These board and picture books, geared for babies and toddlers, will be distributed over the next several months by community partners for the Read early. Read often program.

$19,500 in grants awarded to Oceana community.

#CommunityFoundationforOceanaCounty

PENTWATER – 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 $19,500 was awarded as a result of CFOC’s competitive application process that is overseen by a subcommittee of its trustees and the Youth Advisory Council.

Highlights of CFOC’s fall grant round include support for:

• Read early. Read often. – $2,000 from the Youth Fund and $500 from Little Point Sable Arts Fund to provide quality children’s books and early literacy training to network partners.

• Connexion Point – $2,400 from the Health Fund to support a treatment and recovery program that will work with Oceana inmates during incarceration and make plans on release to transition into the program.

• Delta Institute – $300 from the Kuhne Environment Fund, $400 from Parks Fund and $2,300 from Hart-Montague Trail Fund to improve environment and community landscape along William-Field Hart-Montague Bike Trail. A total of 700 trees will be planted along the trail, with Delta Institute hosting capacity-building workshops for community leaders.

• Feeding America West MI – $2,200 from the Health Fund to expand the Mobile Food Pantry Program by 12 more distributions throughout Oceana County.

• Golden Township – $2,000 from the William R. Lathers Golden Township Fund to purchase security cameras for 24/7 coverage of the Golden Township Park at Silver Lake Sand Dunes.

• Hart Area Public Library – $1,000 from the Little Point Sable Arts Fund to help purchase a collection of books that will appeal to adults with low literacy skills. These books will help fill a gap for adults with a desire to read material geared toward more mature interests, particularly persons with English as a second language (ESL).

• Staircase Youth Services – $3,000 from Youth Fund to support their youth transitional living program. This program provides safe and stable housing, case management, and life skills instruction to homeless youth in Oceana.

• West Shore ESD – $2,000 from the Youth Fund and $500 from the United Way of the Lakeshore Oceana County Fund to pilot five Connection Sessions for existing and prospective child care providers in Oceana. These sessions will provide professional development opportunities for currently existing child care providers as well as technical assistance to new and prospective providers.

• White Lake Music Society – $1,000 from Little Point Sable Arts Fund to strengthen existing Oceana school band programs by providing middle school band students with an in-depth opportunity to expand knowledge and skills.

CFOC is currently comprised of 150+ funds, totaling over 13 million dollars 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 donor advisors also partnered to meet these community and classroom needs.

Teacher Mini Grants deadline fast approaching
The foundation is currently accepting applications from Oceana teachers. From books to audio equipment, the Youth Advisory Council funds creative, fun projects and programs for local students. With a short, online application, teachers have the opportunity to earn a grant up to $250 to enhance classroom experiences for their students. Application closes Thursday, Oct. 31. For more information, or to start the application, go to https://tinyurl.com/oceanateaches

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.