DCF Awards $16K In Proactive Grants

DCF awarded 16 proactive grants of $1,000 each to charitable organizations that serve Dearborn County residents

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF), Inc. awarded $16,000 in Board member recommended proactive grants to local charitable organizations, ranging from human services and education to history and the arts.

In a continuing effort to make an impact in the community, DCF awarded 16 proactive grants of $1,000 each to charitable organizations that serve Dearborn County residents. Each of the Foundation’s 16 volunteer Board members did their own research and recommended a grant that was meaningful to them in 2020. The source of the total of $16,000 in grants is the Foundation’s Unrestricted Endowment Funds, established by donors to provide flexibility to DCF’s Board and staff to address changing needs in the community over the years.

While DCF has awarded more than $40 million in grants and scholarships in its 22-year history, the annual proactive grants recommended by the volunteer Board members have a special meaning, said Fred McCarter, DCF Executive Director. Board members collectively approve grants at nearly every meeting, but these grants have a more personal feel to them, he said.

“The dollar amount of a grant is not all that makes it meaningful,” McCarter said. “It’s often the thought behind it that makes it so impactful. Don’t get me wrong. A $1,000 grant to any organization is impactful.”

McCarter says the DCF Board members did their own research to learn more about charitable organizations in the community, or relied on their experiences to decide what organization to which they would recommend a $1,000 proactive grant.

The $1,000 grants recommended by DCF’s 16 Board members in 2020 are:

· Safe Passage, Inc. (women and children’s shelter serving Southeastern Indiana) to help with feeding and housing clients. – Board Member Cherie Maddin

· St. Mary’s Catholic School, Aurora, to support its new pre-school program that began in August 2020 for school year 2020-2021. – Board Member Randy Tyler

· Hillforest Historical Foundation, Aurora, to support the needs of the organization. – Board Secretary Ed Gordon

· Pregnancy Care Center, Lawrenceburg, to support needs of the organization. – Board Member Jeanne Lehn

· River Valley Resources for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program. – Board Member Fayla Nanz.

· City of Greendale for its Community Garden Project by volunteers from Southeast Community Gardens who are working hard to provide an inclusive environment for all members of the community to work together toward improving food and social insecurities, physical and emotional wellness, and nutritional and ecological awareness. – Board Member Tim Russell

· James B. Wismann YES (Youth Encouragement Services) Home, Inc. for the needs of the organization. The YES Home is a residential group home that provides a structured, nurturing environment for abused, neglected and abandoned youth, ages 13-18. – Board Member Mike McLaughlin

· Ellise Ellie Helene Brown Foundation, Inc., Guilford, for the charitable works of the organization, whose mission is to increase awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), to educate about SIDS prevention and safe sleep best practices, to fund SIDS research, and to provide financial assistance for funeral costs to families who lose an infant. – Board President Jim Stock

· Bright Lions Club, Bright, for its Charitable Works, including helping the visually impaired and providing medical equipment such as wheelchairs and crutches to those in need. – Board Treasurer Bill Ward.

· Shriners International (Southeast Indiana Shriners Club) to support the organization’s Local Medical Transport Services. – Board Member Loretta Day

· St. John’s Lutheran School, Aurora, to support the needs of the school. – Board Chairperson Mark Neff

· St. Lawrence Catholic School, Lawrenceburg, for technology needs of the school. – Board Member Ramzi Nuseibeh

· Laughery Valley FOP for Kids and Cops Program. – Board Member Kevin Schafer

· Heart House Inc. to support the needs of the homeless shelter, located in Aurora. – Board Member Mike Hollenbeck

· Southeastern Indiana Art Guild to help with the needs of the organization. – Board Vice President Elise Smith

· Moores Hill Recreation, Inc. to support the organization’s 5th Annual Winter Walk. – Board Member Julie Murphy

Anyone can make a contribution to an unrestricted endowment at DCF and help make impact grants like the 16 DCF Board members recommended in 2020. For a list of the unrestricted endowments and to learn more about the Foundation, call 812-539-4115 or visit the Foundation website at www.dearborncf.org. If you are interested in making a contribution to DCF, visit our website’s “Give Now” page to donate on line and to learn about other giving options.